


Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Rewrite)

by spentlizard



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), Pirates of the Carribean, pirates - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Barbossa needs to learn his place, Barbossa's arc is retooled to fit with his character, Captain Will Turner, Carina is a likeable character, Continuity Fixes, Cutler Beckett is a little shit, Dead Men Tell No Tales Rewrite, Emotional, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Secrets, Family is what this series is about, Father-Daughter Relationship, Focuses more on character development, Further exploration of Jack's backstory, Generally follows the same story as the movie, Henry Turner is like Jack's adopted son, I make LOTS OF CHANGES to the film's plot, Jack Needs a Hug, Jack being Jack, Jack has serious character development, Minor Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner, Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, My First AO3 Post, Not what you think, Pintel & Ragetti are back, References to the past films, Rewrite, SHIP BATTLES GALORE!, Sad Jack, Salazar deserved better, Salazar feels, So did all the actors, So does Salazar, So is Cotton, Supernatural Elements, The Battle of the Trident, Was disappointed by the film so this was cathartic, this is canon in my eyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-14 17:30:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 147,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17512877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spentlizard/pseuds/spentlizard
Summary: This is something I had started writing in May 2017, and the reason I wrote this was because I was so massively disappointed with the fifth POTC movie it broke me, especially since I've been a massive fan of the franchise since it began in 2003. So, I endeavored to recreate a better version of Dead Men Tell No Tales.Jack Sparrow has lost his way. As he gets older, he begins to lose his sense of purpose in life as his luck continues to diminish. He longs to be out on the open sea again with the Black Pearl, but finds himself in a constant state of melancholy as he sees that pirates like him are a dying breed.When his old nemesis, Armando Salazar, returns from the dead, he vows to exact his revenge on the pirate that took everything from him.With ghosts, the Royal Navy, and his own demons stacking up against him, Jack embarks on one more adventure with headstrong sailor Henry Turner and feisty astronomer Carina Smyth to find the legendary Trident of Poseidon before Salazar can have his revenge. Along the way, Jack will not only attempt to find the power of the gods, but also try to come to terms with his own past and realize who he truly is.





	1. Pirate's Life

_Back then..._

* * *

 

A white, sulfurous fog hung low along the sea. Through the haze, one's eyesight couldn't glimpse more than a couple of yards in front of them. There was an eerie silence in the air, like a breath waiting to be exhaled from the lungs.

All at once, the silence was broken by the sound of fifty guns roaring to life with deafening power. The cannonballs ripped across the clouded sky, and struck hard against the splintered hull of a pirate ship.

"Captain!" one of the crewmembers shouted, "We've been hit! We're taking on water!"

The captain, in a state of panic, shouted "Abandon ship! Get to the lifeboats! Abandon ship!"

There was a great confusion as the sailors and officers scurried across the deck, making haste to reach the boats before the ship went down. The captain got in one of the lifeboats with about five other men, two of which had been wounded by cannon fire. As they began to paddle away with some of the other survivors, they could hear a voice calling up from the deck of the sinking ship.

"The powder magazine! It's about to-"

The explosion had left an even larger gap in the ship's hull, and a roaring fire blazed from the inside as the ship sank deeper. Screams of terror came from the inside as the ship began to sink into the depths. The captain made a silent prayer for all the souls still aboard his vessel.

"Captain, we have no other choice! We have to surrender!" one of the men had begged. The captain silently nodded.

They rowed over through the smoke, putting white sheets on the front of their muskets. As they ventured their way across the water, the smoke began to dissipate, revealing that the ocean water was littered in burning planks of wood and dozens of corpses. The men were terrified as they paddled their way across, until finally they saw a magnificent vessel right in front of them bearing the Spanish flag.

The ship looked to be a half-mile wide, with masts about half the length of the vessel itself. Fifty guns adorned the port side, smoke still emanating from the barrels from the previous barrage. The rumors were true; the _Silent Mary_ was the deadliest ship in the Caribbean.

The men cried out for mercy, and they awaited the reply of the Spanish on board.

" _Capitán_!" a one-eyed lieutenant named Lesaro called out, "There appear to be survivors. They're begging for mercy."

Slowly but surely, the captain of the feared vessel, Armando Salazar, had begun to stroll his way over from the helm towards Lesaro. He stood tall, with broad shoulders and hair tied back neatly in a ponytail. He was garnered in an elegant, white naval uniform adorned with medals from His Majesty himself. He held an apple in his right hand, and his arms were behind his back as he calmly walked to his lieutenant.

"Mercy?" Salazar asked, "What mercy? Do you think that if we and the _pirata_ scum switched roles, that they would show us any mercy? All they do is raid, pillage, and murder. They're nothing more than animals. So no, _Teniente_ Lesaro, there is no mercy."

Salazar took a bite of his apple, then nudged his head toward the pirates as he threw the rest of the apple into the water.

"Yes, _Capitán_ ," Lesaro complied, and then he ordered his men to take positions along the port side, muskets at the ready.

The pirates in the lifeboats continued to scream for mercy, but the captain remained silent, knowing their fate was inevitable.

" _Preparar_... _apuntar... disparar!"_ Lesaro shouted, and the Spaniards opened fire upon the pirates, killing them all in a single volley. They cried out in pain for a moment before their bodies became lifeless and fell into the sea down to Davy Jones' Locker.

The smoke had cleared for the most part, and around the _Silent Mary_ were about a dozen or so pirate vessels, all with burning hulls and sinking down to the depths. The victorious Spanish let out a cry of victory, and the last ship to go down had it's Jolly Roger ablaze and falling to the water.

Salazar couldn't help but beam at the sight. At last, the pirates were no more.

* * *

Across the horizon, a ship with a blackened hull and sails began to draw closer to the bay. Despite it's shoddy, burnt state, the vessel was making incredible speed across the clear blue ocean, with the wind in the crew's favor. The ship was magnificent in it's own right, with it's unique and rugged appearance balanced out by the sheer power of both its sails and its guns. The back of the ship read the name of the _Wicked Wench,_ but it had been a long time since it had been called that. It now sailed under a different name: the _Black Pearl._

The first mate strolled over to one of the crew members tying one of the sails down and pulled him to the side, saying "This be a mad venture we're on. It be suicide."

"We won't be alone, Hector," the crewman answered, "The Brethren Court's dispatched about a dozen ships for this."

"Aye, but this be the _Silent Mary,_ William," Hector warned, "captained by Armando Salazar, _El Matador Del Mar_ himself! We won't stand a chance! They be a bloody armada contained into one ship!"

"What are you suggesting, mate?" William asked.

"That we change our course and turn away from this while we still can!" Hector implored, "We must convince the captain to veer away before it's too late!"

"Are you talking about a mutiny, Hector?" William asked, shocked.

"No, not mutiny! We need only to convince the captain otherwise before we all end up at the bottom of the sea!" Hector nearly shouted.

"I have faith in his decisions," William sternly replied, "If you want to change his mind, take it up with him."

Hector let out a great sigh, and he began to stroll his way over to the helm. Pintel was at the wheel, and the good captain was at the edge of the stern holding that compass he cherished so much. He never let anyone else touch it for reasons no one knew why. He was dressed lightly, with little more than a shirt, vest, pants, and boots covering his body, in addition to the blue bandana wrapped around his head and the assortment of trinkets on his person. He wore a red sash around his waist which contained his cutlass and pistol, and his eyes were fixated upon the compass' direction. Despite being much more younger than Hector and some of the other pirates aboard, he was not a man to be questioned or crossed. He had had plenty of experience on the open sea, and he was renowned for his clever wit and his ability to make his words more dangerous than any cannon.

"Captain," Hector began, "I be needing to speak with ya."

The captain closed the cover of his compass, and then turned around to face his first mate.

"Yeah," the captain asked, sounding somewhat annoyed, "what's botherin' you, mate?"

"This just isn't sitting well with me, Jack. No ship has ever escaped the wrath of Captain Salazar," Hector begged, "I beseech you, we must turn back now!"

"Wish I could, but I can't, Mr. Barbossa," Jack replied.

"And why not?" Hector questioned.

"Let me put it to you in simple terms: Salazar hunts down every pirate he finds. If we leave now, he'll inevitably find us and destroy us by ourselves. If we stay now, we at least have the support of the Brethren Court. More ships means more targets for the _Mary_ to hit, meaning its fire won't be fully concentrated on any one ship. With this, we can send Salazar to the depths and we can all celebrate with a nice bottle of rum in Tortuga, savvy?" Jack finished.

"And what happens if our ship is concentrated upon and we all sink to the depths, Captain?" Hector grudgingly asked.

"Then we swim for it," Jack replied nonchalantly, "and hope the sharks don't eat us."

Hector sighed, and made his way across the deck away from Jack. As soon as he was alone, Jack opened up his compass again, and he could see that the ship was heading in the right direction. At this rate they'd be at the bay in no time.

As he looked down at his compass, he could see the little pink P-mark on his right wrist out of the corner of his eye. When it registered to him that he'd seen it, he closed his eyes for a second and rolled down his sleeve, letting out a minor sigh.

_Don't think about it, mate. Don't you dare think about it._

He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when he heard Hector calling out, "Captain!"

Jack quickly made his way over to the bow where Hector was, and asked, "What's seems to be the fuss?"

Hector was holding a telescope in his hands as he stood with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"I- I think you should see for yourself, Captain," he managed to say, handing the telescope to Jack. He took it, and saw what he could only describe as hell.

At least a dozen ships were burning in the bay area, with pirate flags adorning each one. The sea was cluttered with dead bodies and debris, the evidence of a major incursion right before the crew's eyes.

"Dear God," Jack gasped.

"I be beggin' ya, Jack! We must get out of here!" Hector pleaded.

"No," Jack answered coolly, "We're not leaving. The _Silent Mary_ is still out there."

"All the more reason for us to flee before we're destroyed!" Hector shouted, "If a fleet of ships couldn't take down Salazar, what makes you think the _Pearl_ can?"

"The answer's in the question, mate. This is the _Pearl,"_ Jack answered, and he looked upon his compass to see if it would give him what he wanted most. Suddenly, the needle turned and pointed towards a small, rocky island with a cave entrance, and Jack smiled as he realized what it was.

"The Devil's Triangle," he smiled, formulating his plan, "Yeah, that'll do nicely. Keep going inland, gentlemen!"

Before anyone could object, Jack began to climb up the rigging without hesitation, reaching it's limit upward before grabbing onto the beams and climbing into the crow's nest. As he got in, he called out as loud as he could, shouting, "Oi, Spaniards!"

"What's Jack doin'?" Hector remarked out loud to no one in particular.

"I don't know, but he's doing something, I reckon," William answered.

"Oi, over here!" Jack called again.

Back on the _Silent Mary,_ some of the Spaniards began to turn their heads towards the commotion. They saw the ship in the distance, but they were certain they had destroyed every ship in the area. And now this one appeared out of nowhere.

" _Capitán,"_ Lesaro said, watching Jack flail his arms from the top of the _Pearl_ with his telescope, "You need to see this!"

Salazar walked over towards his lieutenant and took the telescope from his hands, looking through towards the direction of the ship. What he saw astounded him; there was this strange, pirate _boy_ calling out from the top of the crow's nest. Just a boy. And he was up there high and mighty, almost like some little bird flapping it's wings.

Like a sparrow.

"Hey, Salazar! The name's Jack! Listen here! If you surrender to me now, I will let you live!" Jack called out, "Hear that? I will let you live!"

Salazar quickly closed his telescope, his brow becoming furrowed and his demeanor tense as he shouted back "You _dare_ to mock me, boy? Sitting up there and flapping your arms around like a sparrow?" His crew then gave a hearty laugh as their captain belittled the pirate.

Jack, chuckling as he heard the Spaniard's remarks towards him, replied, "The thing about sparrows, mate, is that they can fly very fast! And if you're not careful, they're likely to pluck your eyes right out from your sockets!"

"You know, I don't take pleasure in killing," Salazar began, "but in your case, I'll be willing to make an exception!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Jack taunted, "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Kill that pirate!" Salazar barked to his crew, having lost his patience as he paced towards the helm, and his men made haste to sail the ship towards the _Pearl._

Jack quickly descended from the crow's nest via one of the rigging lines, and ordered, "Mr. Barbossa, hard to port and head inland!"

"But Jack, we'll be trapped and torn to pieces!" Hector begged.

"Hector, do as I say," Jack ordered again, and then said "Bootstrap, loosen some sail and catch that wind!"

"Aye, sir!" William complied, and he began to loosen the sails to increase their speed.

Salazar watched as the pirates were picking up speed, and he shouted "Follow him in!"

The _Mary_ began to pick up speed as it followed close on the heels of the _Pearl._ Salazar was going to eliminate these pirates once and for all, and he would take great satisfaction from running his blade along that boy's throat. He wouldn't let his status be mocked by some lowlife murderer.

Jack seized the wheel from Pintel, who he then ordered to get the cargo loaded onto the port side with Ragetti below decks. He took the helm and began to steer the ship towards what looked like a cave. He knew that if he went in he was a dead man, but Jack was clever. He knew what he had to do.

"The ship's too fast, we can't hit it with our guns!" Lesaro commented, "What do we do?"

"He's heading for the caves," Salazar informed him, "He thinks he can lose us in there, but he has no idea. Full speed ahead!"

"Get ready, men!" Jack ordered, "Barbossa, get the hooks out! Bootstrap, get all the cannons tied to the port side!"

He was venturing very fast towards the cave, but the opportune moment hadn't come yet. He had to wait just a little bit longer.

"Captain, we're getting awfully close!" Bootstrap called out, "What are your orders?"

"Not yet..." Jack said, "Wait for it... wait for it..."

Salazar shouted "Kill that pirate _bastardo!"_ and the _Mary_ was dangerously close to firing distance.

"Now! Bootleg turn!" Jack shouted, and the crew threw grappling hooks onto some jagged rocks near the mouth of the cave. Jack turned the wheel hard, using the weight of the cargo and cannons to his advantage as they curved sharply around the rocks and back the other way again.

Salazar stood atop of his deck dumbfounded. That boy had just outmaneuvered _him._ Armando Salazar, the scourge of all pirates, was bested by a mere _boy._

"Bootleg turn!" he yelled, making his way over to the helm and taking the wheel himself. He tried to steer the ship away from the mouth of the cave, but it was too late. He looked over his shoulder to see Jack strutting across the deck, swinging his compass on a small rope in a circular motion. The boy gave a mere smirk at the Spaniard, and Salazar became filled with hatred at the mere sight of him. From that moment, this one name would haunt him for all eternity:

_Jack Sparrow._

Just as soon as the ship entered the cave, it came up hard against sharp rocks on the surface of the water. The _Silent Mary_ came to a halt, sending some of the Spanish flying forward. The rocks had torn through the hull of the ship, and they struck the powder magazine below deck. There was a great explosion from below deck, going up through the top of the deck and burning the sailors in the bow area. The fire and explosions continued, spreading throughout the whole of the ship. One by one, more of the Spanish became nothing but burnt corpses along the deck of the ship. Salazar backed up in horror, watching his crew and his ship be destroyed before his very eyes. He attempted to escape from the crumbling vessel, but the beam of the falling mast struck the back of his head, taking out a decent chunk of his skull and killing him instantly.

Salazar's lifeless body fell into the water, his neat ponytail undone, his clean, white uniform now blackened and charred, and his beautiful vessel destroyed. The _Silent Mary_ was nothing more than a fiery wreck, and its crew lie down in the depths.

* * *

Jack stood on the deck of the _Pearl,_ bowing as the crew began to cheer him on. No one had ever been able to defeat Salazar before, and the crew was indebted to him for saving their necks.

"Please, it's nothing really," Jack said, trying (and failing) to be modest, "Just get me a bottle of rum and we'll be square, savvy?"

"I got to hand it to ya Jack," Hector said, strolling over to his captain, "I never believed that you'd be able to do it. Outwitting _El Matador Del Mar?_ Ne'er in a thousand years would I have thought it possible, and yet here we are with air still in our chests!"

"Thanks, mate," Jack said, "Now, let us make way for Tortuga gentlemen! Drinks are on me!"

The crew gave another loud cheer, and then William walked up to the captain and removed his hat.

"A proper captain needs a hat, sir. You be deserving this one as homage," he said, placing his leather tricorn hat in Jack's hand, "We can't thank you enough, Jack."

"Nay, not just Jack!" Hector said, silencing the crew, "You be best deserving of a better name, one that makes you stand out amongst our lot. Gentlemen, let's give three cheers for Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Jack _Sparrow?_ It was an odd choice of name to be sure, but something about it sounded right to him. Better than his last one, anyway. This might help him forget it.

The crew began to chant, "Captain Jack Sparrow! Hip-hip-hoorah! Hip-hip-hoorah! Hip-hip-hoorah!"

Jack smiled at his crew, and then gave the order to set sail for Tortuga. He took the wheel and began to steer towards the direction of the pirate haven, and then he had put Bootstrap Bill's tricorn upon his head. It was quite comfortable, actually.

He looked down upon the branding upon his wrist again, and then he chuckled. He wasn't going to let this ruin his victory, so he was just going to bask in it. Pirate's life, right?

_Jack Sparrow. Captain of the Black Pearl, defeater of the Silent Mary. I like the sound of that._

"Gentlemen!" Jack called out, "A shanty!"

" _Fifteen men on a dead man's chest_

_Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum._

_Drink and the devil had done for the rest_

_Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum._

_The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike_

_The bosun brained with a marlinspike_

_And cookey's throat was marked belike_

_It had been gripped by fingers ten;_

_And there they lay, all good dead men_

_Like break o'day in a boozing ken._

_Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"_

* * *

Salazar's corpse continued to drift down towards the ocean floor, the mighty Spanish captain having fallen at last. But fate was not done with him yet; he still had a purpose to fulfill. From the rocks inside the Triangle emanated a strange, red energy than darted it's way through the water into the wrecked warship and into the bodies of the Spanish. When it directed it's way towards Salazar, it entered in throughout his body, and his eyes suddenly snapped open. Salazar had returned from the land of the dead, and only one emotion clouded his mind:

_Rage._


	2. In Your Heart

_Years later..._

* * *

On an island not far from northwest Jamaica, there laid a modest-sized cottage with a lighthouse adjacent to it. No sound was present except for the waves that crashed against the rocky shoreline. The air was still and the gulls were silent, for night had fallen and nature had gone to rest for the evening. However, not all were obedient to the darkness' call to stop the day's activities.

The top of the tower was alit with a brilliant fire that was visible for several miles. In the tower, there sat a young lad of around ten huddled at his desk, entranced by the book he was reading. He had a number of papers adorning his wall, little scraps of information that contained the stuff of myth and legend. There were mentions of cursed ships and treasure, lost islands and ancient civilizations, and sketches of strange looking objects that seemed to be not of this world. But among other things, the most prominently displayed aspect of this wall contained mentions of an ancient relic, one that had total control of the power of the sea.

The Trident of Poseidon.

It was believed to be a myth, nothing more than fairy-tale nonsense used to make a good story for children or when one got bored on the ocean. But for the young boy, it was real. It was as real as the ground he stood on and the air he breathed and he desired nothing more than to have it. But not so he could rule the seas. He had other reasons.

"Henry," a voice called from behind him, causing the boy to jump in his chair in surprise. He turned around to see his mother standing by the door that led to the staircase.

"What are you still doing up?" she asked him, arms crossed.

"I'm sorry, mum. I lost track of time," Henry said, looking guilty.

"It's late," she said, "You should be in bed."

"I know, it's just- I got caught up in what I was doing," Henry tried to explain, "I think I found something to break father's curse."

His mother sighed, and she walked over closer to her son and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Sweetheart, I know you miss your father. Believe me, I want nothing more than for him to come back. But he can't. It's just not possible," she finished, her voice a little shaken.

"Nothing's impossible, mother," Henry said, his eyes glistening with youthful optimism, "Just like all your adventures with dad and Captain Jack Sparrow."

Her teeth clenched at the mention of the latter's name.

"Henry-" she began, but the boy continued.

"All of those tales I heard of Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann sailing the high seas I know to be more than mere tales. They're true, and the Trident of Poseidon is just as real as dad's curse," Henry said, but Elizabeth got down on one knee and started to caress his cheek.

"Henry," Elizabeth began, "the Trident doesn't exist. I know you want your father back, but this is a fool's errand. No one's been able to find it."

"Yes, they have," Henry contradicted, "This book says that the astronomer Galileo encountered a 'sea of stars' on one of his voyages, and he discovered something of immense power. I believe this is the Trident."

"Henry, please," Elizabeth begged, "I've tried searching for the Trident before. Six months at sea and I found nothing. I'm sorry. I can't spend my life searching for a way to bring your father back when I have to raise you to be your own person. He would've wanted that for you. Now please, just come downstairs to bed."

Henry sighed, and then said okay as he followed his mother downstairs.

* * *

Henry Turner was nothing if not persistent. After he was sure that his mother was sound asleep, he creeped out of the house and made his way over to the dockyard, where he released a rowboat and started to paddle his way out to sea.

Despite what his mother said, Henry knew the Trident was real; it wasn't just something in his heart or his head. Deep down, there was something gnawing at him, something that told him that the Trident was real beyond all doubt. He knew that, one day sooner or later, he would find it. And when he did, he would lift his father's curse.

A thick fog hung in the air as Henry stopped rowing the boat, and he was sure that he was far away out at sea enough for his plan to work. He stood up and picked up the small bag that he had brought with him. The bag itself was filled with heavy rocks that made it difficult for him to carry for long, but once he had made sure that the bag was securely tied to his leg, he threw it into the water, took a deep breath, and jumped in.

The weight of the rocks pulled Henry down deep into the water, the pressure becoming more intense by the second. He knew that if he stayed like this for much longer, he would drown. But it was a risk he was willing to take.

Suddenly, the rocks hit a hard surface, and Henry's feet accompanied it as he landed on the wooden deck of a seemingly sunken ship. But Henry knew better; as he looked around him, he saw that the ship was beginning to rise out of the water, coming to the surface with a huge splash. The ship finally settled, with water dripping from the deck and the sails in large amounts, and Henry started to gasp for air. After he had caught his breath, he looked around him and saw the seaweed adorning the mast and sails, the crustaceans built up on the cannons, and the splintered, damp deck boards.

_The Flying Dutchman._

Suddenly, Henry heard a pair of doors open, and then the sounds of slow footsteps were ever present in his mind. As the footsteps drew nearer, the boy mustered up what courage he had and called out, "Father?"

"Henry," the low voice of William Turner called out from the shadows. He stepped forward through the shroud of darkness to reveal himself. His naturally handsome features were obscured by the crustaceans that built up along his face.

"What have you done?" he asked sternly.

"I said I'd find you," Henry declared, "And I have."

"Look at me, son," Will said with a harsh tone, "Can't you see I'm cursed to this ship?"

"I don't care!" Henry nearly shouted, "I don't care about any of that! I think I've found a way to save you!"

The sounds of grunts from below deck became apparent to both Turners, and then Will said, "They know you're here. Go home to your mother, now."

"I can't!" Henry begged, "I think I've found a way to save you from this ship, to break the _Dutchman's_ curse! For you and grandfather both!"

"Henry, no," Will insisted, but the boy continued on.

"I've read about a treasure, a weapon that holds the power of the sea - the Trident of Poseidon! It can break your curse!" Henry said, pleading with his eyes for his father to listen.

"Henry, the Trident can never be found. It's not possible, it's simply a tale," Will said, defeated.

"Mother said the same thing," Henry noted, "but I don't believe that. I know it exists!"

"It doesn't exist because I've searched for it myself," Will said coldly, "Did you think I didn't think to look for a way to break my curse, so that I could return to you and your mother? I searched for years and found nothing. It's nothing but a tale."

"A tale?" Henry shot back, "Like the tales of you, mother, and Jack Sparrow? Those were all just stories?"

Will's temper rose at the mention of Jack, and he nearly shouted "You stay away from Jack. Don't go anywhere near him, do you understand? He's dangerous."

"I know he saved your life more than once," Henry argued, "and he'll do the same again."

"I said no!" Will shouted this time, "Leave the sea, and stop acting like-"

"A pirate?" Henry inquired.

"A child, acting on some mad fantasy," Will stated bluntly, whereupon he unsheathed the smallsword he had made long ago and cut the bag from Henry's leg.

"I'll never stop trying to free you! You're my father!" Henry shouted, his eyes glistening with tears.

Will walked forward, embracing Henry in his arms and trying to comfort the young boy.

"Henry," he spoke in a low voice, "My boy, my brave boy... I'm sorry. My curse can never be broken. Leave me to my fate."

The ship started to descend into the water, and large quantities of it began to splash onto the deck. Will slowly pulled away from the embrace and started to caress his son's cheek, smiling as he did so.

"Father," Henry began, but Will cut him off.

"You must let go of me, son," he said, "I'll always be in your heart. I love you, son."

He walked backwards slowly, and the ship continued to submerge into the depths.

"Father, I'll never stop! Never!" he shouted, and Will continued to smile as he finally said, "Goodbye."

The _Dutchman_ had disappeared beneath the sea, leaving Henry in the waters by himself. After he swam back up to the surface, he climbed back into the rowboat he came in, and laid down upon it as he gazed into the starry night sky.

"I'll find the Trident, father," he said to himself, "I will."


	3. Dead Men Tell No Tales

_Nine years later..._

* * *

The _HMS Monarch_ fired its bow cannons at the ship ahead of them, a Dutch barque that had been commandeered by pirates in the Virgin Islands. The Royal Navy vessel had been pursuing it's target for weeks, and they had finally caught up with them.

"Put your backs into it, you low-lives! We're hunting pirates!" an officer barked at the sailors who were crewing below decks, trying to make the ship go as fast as it could. One sailor, however, chose not to aid his compatriots, and instead stuck his head out of the starboard side to get a good look at the pirate vessel. When he did, he saw that the ship was heading for a cloud of fog that seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere. As the _Monarch_ sailed through the fog, something started to appear up in the distance. More and more of the fog cleared away until the sight of a small, rocky island with a cave in the one end was as plain as day. It had stalagmites and stalactites that resembled sharp teeth, and an eerie fog seemed to emanate from the mouth of the cave.

Henry had studied the legends and curses of the seas long enough to know what laid before them: _The Devil's Triangle._

"Oh God," he muttered, knowing what lay before all of them. He had to do something. He had to do something before they all sailed to their deaths.

Henry then bolted across the lower decks of the ship in his desperate attempt to warn the Captain before it was too late. He even ignored the other sailors' pleas for him to get back to his post before he was caught. But he didn't care; this was a matter of life and death.

"Oi, you! Get back to your station, now!" the officer on the lower deck called after him, but Henry had already made his way above deck, where he saw Captain Toms and his subordinates at the helm of the ship.

Captain Toms looked at the enemy vessel through his telescope, his nose wrinkling at the sight of their Jolly Roger adorning a merchant ship. He then saw that the pirates were then headed for the cave, so he addressed his fellow officers and said "They're heading inland. Full speed ahead!"

"Wait!" Henry shouted, pushing his way past the other sailors above deck so he could make it to the helm, "Don't do it!"

Toms sighed, collapsing his telescope and turning to face the young sailor.

"We are in the pursuit of pirates, boy. Why shouldn't I sail after them?" Toms inquired, though condescendingly.

"With all due respect sir," Henry began, taking off his hat, "you're sailing us into the Devil's Triangle. We need to change course."

Toms began to chuckle, and then he said "You hear this, gentlemen? Young Turner here believes in an old sailor's tale!"

"Sir, I beseech you! I've spent my entire life researching all the stories of the sea. Every ship that's sailed into the Triangle has never sailed out again," Henry explained, "Trust in what I say. Change course before we all are killed!"

"You dare to give _me_ orders, boy? I'm captain of this ship!" Toms shouted, "Guards! Arrest him!"

Before anyone could lay a hand on him, Henry knocked the helmsman away from the wheel and attempted to steer the ship away, shouting "I will not let you kill us all!"

Soon, however, Royal Marines came to the helm, and one of them hit Henry in the head with the butt of his gun, causing him to fall on the deck. When Henry looked up, he saw half a dozen muskets aimed right at him. The guards then hoisted him on his feet, and Toms came over and tore the sleeves of his coat.

"This is treason! I'll see you hanged for this!" Toms shouted, "Guards, lock him up!"

As they started to take him below deck, Henry could hear one of the officers saying, "Told you he was disturbed."

The guards took him to the brig and threw him in one of the holding cells, and one of the guards scolded, "This was your last chance, Turner!" just as he was locking it up.

Henry slowly got up off the ground, wiping blood from the cut on his lip he had received in the scuffle. As he stood up, he had seen that pieces of paper had fallen out of his pockets. Another prisoner, an old man, had picked up one of the papers off the floor from his adjacent cell, and started to read it.

"Jack Sparrow..." he trailed off, "He's dead. Died years ago. Buried in an unmarked grave."

"That's not true," Henry said, "He's alive. Very much so."

"In body perhaps, but Sparrow is dead," the old man continued, "He may continue to breathe air, but the man is long gone."

Henry gulped, not knowing what to make of what the old man said. Jack Sparrow was - _is -_ the greatest pirate that ever lived. He has the ferocity of Blackbeard, the wit of Charles Vane, and the nobility of Stede Bonnet. At least, that's what he's heard. But Henry knows for certain what Jack was to his mother and father. He was their ally, their friend, their family. He knew that Jack was the only one who could help him break his father's curse.

But first, he had to find a way out of this mess.

Back above deck, Toms and the others saw the barque enter the mouth of the cave, and the _Monarch_ followed in after it. However, the ship became engulfed in yet another eerie fog, and it was impossible to make out what was ahead of the British vessel.

One lieutenant looked over the edge of the port side and saw something in the water. It took a few seconds for him to realize that it was the Jolly Roger that adorned the barque just a few moments before. There were also splintered pieces of wood scattered throughout the water.

"Ship off the port bow!" one of the sailors called out, and up ahead in the distance, Toms could barely make out the outline of a ship hull in the distance. But as they drew nearer, it didn't look like the ship was operational. Instead, they saw an old and battered vessel with fallen masts and a breached hull.

"That's not a ship, sir! It's just a shipwreck!" one of the lieutenants called over to Captain Toms. But Toms wasn't convinced, for it looked like the "shipwreck" was sailing towards them.

"No," Toms began, "No, it's coming at us! All hands to battle stations!"

As the British were preparing for the assault of the incoming ship, they failed to take notice of the shadowy figures that seemed to be traversing their way across the water. But the odd thing was that though they impacted the surface of the water, they stayed atop. But they were anything but Christlike.

"Open fire!" Toms ordered, and the soldiers and sailors ignited their cannons and fired a massive broadside at the approaching ship. But the broadside did nothing for the ghostly ship kept coming closer and closer to the _Monarch._

As the British stood shocked at watching the vessel take no further damage, they were suddenly attacked by a force that could only be described as unholy. They walked like men, but they looked like anything but. They wore black, charred clothing. Their skin pale and gaunt. Their flesh cold and rotting. Several body parts missing from where they should be but they functioned as if they were there. One of the ghostly figures was missing his head and continued to participate in the massacre of the troops. The British fought valiantly, but neither blade nor musket had made a lick of difference, as one by one the redcoats were slaughtered and not one of the undead monsters fell.

The battered ship eventually crashed into the _Monarch,_ causing a massive breach to form in its hull. Soon, fire started to engulf the deck, and practically everyone on board had been killed. Two of the ghosts grabbed hold of Toms, and he saw a horrific sight in front of him. He saw another one of the ghosts, but it was walking forward with a limp, using a sword and scabbard as a crutch. His uniform looked charred and torn, and the three medals he wore over his left breast clinked together. His hair was long and wavy, but it floated slowly in the air like he were underwater or something. His face was also pale and gaunt, and what looked like black blood was oozing from his mouth.

The terrifying figure grabbed hold of Toms' throat and began to suffocate him, whereupon the British officer whimpered, "Wh- what _are_ you?"

The ghost inhaled sharply for a moment, and then he opened his mouth, answering in a hoarse voice, " _Death!_ "

He threw Toms into the fire, and the Captain screamed in agony as he burned to death.

Henry watched the whole thing unfold from below deck, and when he saw the monster murder his Captain, he backed up in horror, accidentally tripping over the piss bucket in his cell.

The ghostly crew heard the noise, and so they slowly made their way below deck, and Henry's eyes widened in pure terror as he saw them looking right at him. The old man in the cell next to him started to whimper, and one of the crew members came forward and stabbed him with his rapier. Their leader locked eyes with Henry, and he moved closer, getting close enough that now he was at the cell door. But it mattered little, since he simply passed through the bars and was now within arms' length of the boy.

He unsheathed his rapier from his scabbard and was poised to strike, but then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. Another one of the pieces of paper that Henry had in his pockets. Curious, the ghost stabbed the paper with his rapier and brought it to his face, just so he could get a good look.

He couldn't believe what he saw. All of his hatred was embodied on the lines of ink that had been printed on the paper. He looked older now. Much older. His face was beginning to show signs of age. He had acquired different attire in the years past. His clean face now covered with facial hair and an assortment of scars. This was the man that took everything from. Every fiber of his being yearned for blood at that very moment, wanting to taste the vengeance he so desperately craved.

"Jack Sparrow..." the ghost uttered in a Spanish accent, with menace in his tone as he rolled the "r" in his speech, "Jack Sparrow..."

He looked up at Henry, who was breathing heavily at the sight of him.

"Do you know this pirate?" the ghost inquired.

"O-only by name," Henry stammered.

The ghost began to study Henry, and then he asked, "You are looking for him, no?"

Henry silently nodded, afraid of what the ghost would do next.

"For many years, the Triangle has left us cursed, forever condemned to this Hell on Earth," the ghost said, gesturing to his crew, "We were trapped here by this _bastardo._ He damned us to this eternal prison, all of us mere shadows of our former selves. We can never leave this place. We are doomed to spend the rest of eternity in the darkness because of that monster. Unliving, undying, ever suffering."

Henry continued to pant deeply, and the ghost caught the look and said, "No, no. There's no need to fear me, boy. Tell me, what is your name?"

"H-Henry," he stammered.

"Henry... good name," the ghost smiled, and more blood oozed from his mouth, "I see you are a sailor, so you have a sense of honor about you. Don't worry, I always leave one man alive to tell the tale."

"What do you want from me?" Henry asked.

"Jack Sparrow is the key to our escape as much as he is the cause for our imprisonment," the ghost told, "Find Sparrow for me, and relay him a message from _Capitán_ Salazar."

"A-Armando Salazar?" Henry inquired, " _El Matador Del Mar?"_

"The same," Salazar answered, "Now, when you find Sparrow, tell him this. Tell him that there will be a day where I will see daylight again. And on that day - _death_ will come straight for him."

As he said this, he spat black blood on Henry's shirt, his voice ever menacing.

"Would you say that to him? Please?" Salazar asked, a sinister grin forming upon his face.

"Y-yes. Yes I will," Henry stammered.

"I wish I could say it to him myself, but..." Salazar began, "dead men tell no tales."

Henry removed his torn military jacket as the ghostly crew escorted him to a lifeboat, whereupon he got in and was lowered into the water as he began to paddle as fast as he could away from the Devil's Triangle.

He knew he needed to find Jack Sparrow as soon as possible before things got even worse.


	4. Brightest Star of the North

Night had set over the island of St. Martin, and the majority of inhabitants had decided to retire for the evening. The only people still awake during this time were the British soldiers that were stuck with guard duty and those that were inside of the most popular tavern on the island, the _Rusty Anchor._ It wasn't really a place of ill-repute. Sure, it wasn't filled with aristocrats and officers that spent their evenings drinking madeira and listening to music, but it wasn't filled with degenerate criminals and drunks that spent several days drinking whiskey or partaking in the pleasurable company of women either. It was a modest place right in the middle where common people could enjoy themselves for the evening, drinking rum.

Carina still hated working there.

It was a decent job. The pay was good, the customers weren't absolute drunks, and her role was limited to merely serving drinks as opposed to the tavern wenches of other establishments that served much more than that. But that didn't change the fact that she would give anything to be doing something else. This job was just a means to an end, a temporary way to provide a living for herself until she got enrolled at university to pursue her one true passion: science.

Carina had a fixation on astronomy and mathematics for the longest time, ever since she was a child. She loved to stargaze, and was one of the few children that didn't ditch school and would always be attentive in class. She always got the highest marks among her peers, creating a strong sense of jealousy among the other girls and even some of the other boys. But she didn't care; she loved learning and would take any opportunity that presented itself to further her education.

But basic schooling was as far as she really got. Back in London, she attempted to get herself enrolled in multiple universities, but attempts were all they were. They all rejected her, not because she wasn't academically gifted, but because she was a woman. That fact didn't anger her as much as just confused her. She was just as qualified as any studious male was to study science and the arts, so why wouldn't they accept her? Does her effort count for nothing? Carina would always be confused by this, because in her heart she knows that she's meant for more than household duties or devoting her life to God.

So, after her mother died, she left England, discontent with the powerhouse of the British Empire and sailed westward to the Caribbean Islands. Most of them were under the jurisdiction of the British Crown - St. Martin included - but Carina figured that her chances were better off here at finding a university that would accept her than back home.

There was a small, private teaching institution on the island that was only for a select few, and all of them men. Earlier that week, Carina had attempted to find an unorthodox solution to further her education. She made her way past the marketplace to get to the hall, and she stood outside as she peeped through a small hole in the building's side. The professor was education the students on long division, and from the look on his face, it seemed as if he was having difficulty in teaching them the concept. Carina looked at the chalkboard, and saw the equation that the students were attempting to solve.

It was so. Damn. Easy.

"Heh," Carina scoffed, not realizing she had said it aloud, "It's two, you idiots."

The professor looked around, dumbfounded at what he just heard, as he stumbled backwards slightly.

"Who said that?" he asked aloud, trying to pinpoint the location of the feminine voice, "Come on, who said that? Women are not allowed in here!"

Carina's eyes widened as she realized that the professor was onto her. Quickly, she grabbed the bottom of her dress and started to make for the tavern at the other end of town, all the while she hears the professor's voice behind her shouting, "Witch! Witch!"

As she kept on running, Carina feared that soon the guards would be upon her, but fortunately there hadn't been a single Redcoat to hear the professor's ignorant accusations. She sighed a breath of relief as she made it back to the tavern, putting her back against the wall and closing her eyes for a moment.

Sadly, there would be no luck of her finding an opportunity here either.

Days had passed, and Carina was now sitting in her room at the tavern, one of the few benefits of being a full-time employee for the owner, Mr. Woodhull. He was a very nice man that allowed Carina a place to stay and a steady pay in exchange for working for him and teaching his young daughter how to read. Mr. Woodhull had a cousin that was magistrate of a small town in the colony of New York called Setauket, and he said that he received a letter from his cousin earlier that day saying that there was an all-female seminary in a place called Germantown, Pennsylvania that she could attend if she wished. Carina was excited at the prospect, and thanked Mr. Woodhull extensively before she retired to her quarters and started preparing for bed.

Carina realized that she would need to save up some more money if she were to depart for the American Colonies. She had spent a ton traveling from England to the Caribbean, and given that America was His Majesty's most lucrative of colonies, it would be a mint. So, she would have to wait a little bit longer before she could embark on her journey.

She reached under her bed, and she pulled out a small book. The book itself was leather-bound and had a blood-red ruby adorning the front. It was old, dating back hundreds of years, containing words and charts beyond all imagining. This book belonged to the astronomer Galileo Galilei.

It was also the only thing she had from her father.

Her fascination with astronomy had started ever since she received this book. Carina never knew her father; he had died before she was born, searching for the legendary Trident of Poseidon. The book came to be in his possession at some point during his life, and after he died her mother gave it to her as a reminder of him. But more than that, it set her on her path to study the constellations and all things science because she wanted to find a way to make him proud. From what she remembers of what her mother told her about him, she told Carina that her father loved to stargaze too, looking up into the night sky and trying to make out the constellations that the stars formed. His favorite had been a choice one, one that was dubbed the Brightest Star of the North.

_Carina._

As the years went by and Carina got older, she perused more and more through the diary's contents, and then she became fixated on something that Galileo himself had been fixated with: the Trident of Poseidon, the very thing her father had died searching for. Unlike others who believed the Trident to be merely nothing more than myth, and the few that believed that it's mythological power was real, Carina was convinced that the Trident did indeed exist, and that it was of great historical significance more than anything else. The real reason for why she wanted to advance herself through education was because she wanted to be the one to find it. She felt that, with the combination of a proper education and Galileo's diary, that she would be able to do what her father could not, and in her own way she would make him proud of her.

"I will find the Trident, father," Carina said to herself, "I swear it."


	5. The Saint Martin Job

A large crowd had gathered in the center of St. Martin, waiting for the ceremony to begin in which a new bank was to be opened to the public. The bank itself was of an Italian design, but the Union Jack adorned the front to symbolize the pride of the British Empire.

"Today," the magistrate of the island began, speaking to the crowd of people from his podium, "we dedicate the Royal Bank of St. Martin, the best and purest banking system in all of the Caribbean!"

The crowd began to applaud and cheer in response, and the magistrate instructed two soldiers to open the doors of the bank for the public to see. Inside lay a vault of tremendous size sitting right in the center of it.

"Our new vault is five-inches thick, weighs an imperial ton, is composed of steel-"

Carina stopped paying attention after that. She could care less about a bunch of self-righteous bureaucrats congratulating themselves for doing practically nothing. And she scoffed at the people who stood there and cheered while the British were putting in a bank that very few people would be able to use, except for the wealthy merchants and politicians that made their way through here. In fact, while her forte is the sciences, she knows enough about politics that none of the several forms of securing the rights of English citizens really mattered as long as a king were in charge. Even the American colonies up north were dissatisfied with the reign of King George, despite their mutual alliance in the war against France and their native allies. In her mind, she believed that the true principles of freedom lay within one's mind as opposed to the direction of a centralized authority.

She doesn't even know why she showed up. Mr. Woodhull had given her the day and there was nothing else going on.

Walking away from the crowd, Carina suddenly remembered that tonight was the night. If her calculations were correct, a blood moon would be coming that evening, and according to the diary a clue would reveal itself, bringing her one step closer to the Trident of Poseidon.

Unfortunately, she would need a watch in order to make the proper calculations when the time came, and she didn't have one with her. So, she stopped in front of the building that belonged to the local astronomer, knowing that he would have a watch in his shop for sale. When she came to the door, though, Carina saw a sign that said that the owner had closed the shop to attend the opening of the bank, in addition to a sign on the right-hand side that said "NO DOGS AND NO WOMEN" in bold lettering.

Carina sighed. She knew that if she went in, she would probably be arrested if she were caught. But at the same time, she realized that if she didn't, the trail to finding the Trident of Poseidon would go cold again, and she couldn't stop now, not when she was so close.

"Here goes nothing," she said.

Carina took a deep breath, and walked through the door.

* * *

"Good citizens," the magistrate continued his speech, "no man, no army can ever rob the gold of St. Martin!"

As he concluded his speech, the crowd began to cheer again, whereupon the magistrate gave the owner of the bank permission to open the vault for the public to see the riches inside.

When the door opened, the crowd hushed with an audible gasp at what they saw, and the bank owner ran back outside. There was a man sleeping inside the vault. He was wearing a big, brown overcoat, with corresponding pants and boots of the same color. Under his coat, he wore a white shirt with a dark blue vest over it, and had two sets of buckles holding his sash and his various effects. On his belt was a sword that sat in its scabbard on his left, two pistols tucked in his front, and a compass tied to the area right next to his sword. He had a peculiar mustache and goatee combo, in addition to his long mane of dark brown dreadlocks being wrapped together on his head by a red bandana. His face and hair were beginning to show signs of age, but he was still relatively on the young side. He had a number of scars adorning his face, and in his hand he held a bottle of rum that was half-empty. He was snoring very loudly.

"Pirate!" an old woman in the crowd shouted after observing the man's appearance. The crowd gave off another audible gasp at the realization.

The man then started to stir in his sleep, chuckling lightly and uttering "Pirate... heh..."

Suddenly his eyes snapped wide open as he quickly stumbled his way out of the vault, shouting "PIRATE!"

He collapsed onto the ground in front of him, his fall lessened by the pile of rope that had come out of the vault along with him. Still holding on to the bottle of rum, he got up slowly as he struggled to gain his balance, muttering incoherent words and phrases. When he could get himself to stand on two feet, he looked ahead to see the gigantic crowd in front of him.

"Oi, that's Jack Sparrow, that is!" a man from the crowd spoke up, and a couple of people gasped at the name.

"I think you left out a 'Captain' there, mate," Jack managed to get through in his drunken state, "Now, this may seem a peculiar request, but could someone explain to me as to... to why I'm here?"

Behind the bank, there were twelve horses tied together, and they were pulling on a structure that was holding military-grade rope to it. The rope itself was secured tightly to the horses, and it extended back through holes in the rear of the bank and was secured tightly to the vault itself.

"Marty," Joshamee Gibbs called over to the dwarf, "Why hasn't Jack come back yet? Doesn't he know we're on a bit of a tight schedule here?"

"Dunno," Marty replied, "But we need to do this real soon."

Gibbs and Marty then went to make sure the horses were secure along with Pintel, Ragetti, Mr. Cotton, and his parrot.

A platoon of Redcoats had rushed to the front entrance of the bank, muskets in hand as they formed two rows of firing lines. Upon seeing this, Jack's eyes widened as he quickly tried to find a way out of this scenario.

"No, no, wait! It's coming to me! I just need a moment to clear me head!" he said, and then he popped open the top of his bottle of rum and began to chug it down.

"Make ready!" the officer in command ordered his troops, and the first line kneeled while the second line stood behind them.

"Present!" he ordered again, and the soldiers began to aim their guns right at the pirate.

Suddenly, the sound of moaning came from behind Jack, and a woman began to rise from the bottom of the inside of the bank vault.

"Hold your fire, goddamn you!" the officer barked, "There's a woman inside the vault!"

As this was occurring, Gibbs and the crew heard the commotion and were preparing to make a quick getaway with the horses.

"Here's hoping the captain can deliver this time," Pintel said grudgingly to Ragetti as they mounted the rear horses.

"Agreed. It's about time I've gotten a new bloody eye," Ragetti complained.

Back to the scene in front of the bank, Jack turned around and saw the woman running out of the bank, trying her best to cover herself in her indecent state. As she ran out, her eyes widened as she made eye-contact with the magistrate.

"Frances?!" the magistrate asked in shock, and the woman ran away from the scene.

Jack, still drunk beyond all sense, was beginning to piece things together finally. He saw the rope on the floor, the holes in the back, the open bank vault, the bottle of rum in his hand, and remarked the magistrate's wife that had shown him _quite_ the time the night before, and he figured it out.

"I've got it now!" he turned to the crowd, grinning like he had won something, "I'm robbing the bank!"

"Open fire!" the officer shouted, and in a half-second Jack uttered, "Oh, bugger."

He dropped to the floor just as the Redcoats began to open fire, musket balls flying past his head as he ducked for cover.

Gibbs gave the order to the rest of the crew to get the horses moving after they'd heard the gunfire, and began to spur the horses as hard as they could. The rope was secure enough to the bank vault that the horses were able to pull it along with ease, but once the vault made contact with the rear wall, it would hardly budge. Gibbs and the crew worked the horses as much as possible, but what ended up happening was instead of the vault breaking through the wall, the vault's force caused the foundation of the building to break away as the horses were now dragging away the bank itself.

Jack peeked up to see the building moving, perplexed as to how this happened, and quickly got to his feet as the Redcoats were reloading their muskets. He bent down to pick up his leather tricorn hat that was laying on the ground, and placed it on top of his head as he addressed the soldiers, saying "I suppose I _am_ robbing the bank after all."

He stomped his foot down, and suddenly Jack felt something seize his right leg, and he fell face-first onto the ground and let out a grunt. He felt himself being dragged along the ground at a high speed, and he quickly managed to turn himself to see that the extra rope that was lying on the ground had been caught around his ankle and was dragging him along with the bank.

Nothing like last-second improvisation.

"After him! Don't let him get away!" the officer ordered, and the British soldiers gave chase after Jack and the bank after they had finished reloading.

Gibbs and the crew continued to press on, despite the fact that they were now dragging an entire bank down the streets of St. Martin.

"Hey," Ragetti began, "when Captain Jack said we'd be robbing the bank, I wasn't aware that we'd be _robbing the bank!"_

"We've been alive long enough to see that nothing ever goes according to Jack's plan," Pintel responded.

"RAWK! Sailor in the brig! Sailor in the brig!" Mr. Cotton's parrot squawked.

"Whoa!" Jack shouted out as he continued to be dragged along the ground. He saw the bank was crashing into the sides of buildings and objects on the sides of the road, and he had to swerve himself to avoid the debris. After narrowly avoiding a broken barrel that almost hit his head, Jack realized that he was still holding on to his bottle of rum. Realizing this, he began to chug it down again, despite the situation that he was currently in.

As he was drinking, he felt something small and hard smack against his forehead, and he looked ahead and saw that several gold coins and British pounds were pouring from the open vault.

"Oh, not good, not good, not good, not good!" Jack panicked, putting his bottle in his coat and attempting to catch as many of the coins as possible. As this happened, he heard the sound of gunshots and craned his head back to see the British soldiers shooting at him while running. Those gold coins that spilled from the vault that Jack didn't catch ended up be picked up by the populace in the street behind them, and Jack smirked lightly, knowing that at least he had made other people richer.

Jack then hoisted the rope that he was being dragged by and attempted to pull himself towards the vault, hoping to shut the door in time so that some of the gold inside would be saved. He couldn't take another failure. Not again.

* * *

Carina had continued to peruse through the store, still looking for the watch that she needed to conduct her calculations. She was undeterred at the sound of gunfire, thinking that the guards were in pursuit of some bandit or the like. It took her some time before she found what she needed, a silver watch that would allow her to keep proper track of the time. At the moment she picked up the watch, she heard the sound of a door creaking and turned to see that the owner of the shop had returned from the ceremony much earlier than anticipated.

"Bloody pirates ruining everythi-" he began, but stopped as soon as he saw Carina standing in his shop holding one of his pocket watches, "What the bloody hell are you doing in my shop? Women aren't allowed in here!"

"Uh," Carina stammered, placing her arms at her sides, "I know that this looks really, really conspicuous, but I'll tell you what. I will pay double whatever this watch is worth on account of you selling it to a woman, and you keep silent about my being here."

"The sign not only says no women allowed," the owner fumed, "but you deliberately broke into my shop while I wasn't here! You're a thief!"

"Please sir, I beg you to reconsider!" Carina pleaded, "I need this watch in order to complete my calculations! I'll even pay triple."

Her eyes widened when she realized what her choice of words were and how it sounded to the owner, for he rushed over to his desk drawer and pulled out a pocket pistol.

"Witch!" he cried out, his hand shaking as he thumbed back the hammer, "There's a witch in my shop!"

"Oh goddammit," Carina muttered, raising her hands in the air as the owner continued pointing his gun at her, "I am _not_ a witch, I am an astronomer. What is witchcraft about a woman appreciating the sciences?"

"Help! There's a witch in my shop!" the owner continued to cry out.

Carina rolled her eyes at the man's stupidity.

* * *

Gibbs continued to lead the crew through St. Martin, waving his hand to the sides to signal any innocent bystanders to abdicate the road.

"Clear a path!" he shouted, "Get out of the way!"

Several civilians started to get out of the path of the pirate crew, and Marty and Mr. Cotton spurred their horses even harder. Gibbs looked to the right-hand side to see a balcony that was far enough out into the street that it would make contact with the bank.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he shouted out, but the bank had torn the balcony down and bits of debris started to fall on the crew.

"Stop! Stop, stop!" Ragetti called out, bits of rock falling on his head and knocking his eyepatch off his head.

Behind them, Jack had finally managed to hoist himself up to the bank vault, and put whatever coins and pounds he had managed to scavenge into the vault and closed the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, he began to try to climb his way to the top of the moving building so he could make it to Gibbs and the others in the front.

"Hard to starboard!" Gibbs shouted, noting the sharp right turn coming up, and he and the others darted the horses to the right while trying to accommodate for the massive weight of the bank. Jack had managed to make it halfway up the side when the bank started to swerve to the left, and he screamed when he saw a building coming dangerously close to him. The bank crashed against the building, causing Jack to lose his grip on the building and tumble down onto the ground in a nearby alleyway.

As soon as he stopped rolling, he stood right up, and looked all around him, asking aloud "Where's my bank?"

After failing to locate it, he pulled the bottle of rum out of his coat and continued to drink from it, wandering out into the street. He paid no attention to the Redcoats running past him, and in turn they paid no attention to him because they were focused on going after a bank and not a hapless drunk.

He heard someone calling out from inside one of the buildings, shouting out "Someone help! There's a witch in my shop!"

With no real sense of direction, Jack wandered through the door, and saw the shopkeeper pointing his pistol at Carina, and the two of them looked at him in surprise. Jack looked from the owner, whose hands were trembling greatly, over to Carina, who still had her hands in the air.

"So sorry, am I intruding on something?" Jack began.

"A pirate!" the owner shouted again, "There's a witch and a pirate in my shop!"

"Well, it's your lucky day!" Jack said with a drunken grin.

"I need help!" the owner shouted yet again, "A witch and a pirate are robbing my store!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, mate," Jack began, "I don't know what this lovely lass may have done to upset you, but I on the other hand have no interest here. I'm just trying to find me bank."

"You're trying to find what?" Carina asked, bewildered. But Jack chose instead to continue to drink from his bottle. Without a moment's notice, the owner fired his pistol, and the bullet struck Jack's bottle, shattering it and causing what was left inside to spill out onto the hem of Carina's dress.

"My dress!" Carina exclaimed.

"My rum!" Jack shouted, and suddenly he glared daggers at the owner. He pulled out one of the pistols in his belt and pointed it in the owner's direction, who whimpered at Jack presenting his weapon. Quickly, he ran out of the door of his shop, shouting out "Witch and pirate in my shop! Witch and pirate in my shop!"

"That was my last bottle," Jack complained, watching the owner take off down the street towards a group of Redcoats.

"You idiot!" Carina shouted, "Now he's going to get the guards to come after us! I don't know about you, but I'm not prepared to hang!"

"Trust me, love, I can speak from experience that it's not all that bad," Jack said, holstering his pistol. As he did, he looked at Carina's face, and he thought he saw something. He didn't know what it was, but it was something.

"Have we met before?" Jack asked her.

"No, because I don't make it a habit to associate with drunken pirates," Carina bluntly responded.

"Well, goody-goody," Jack sarcastically replied, "Now, have you happened to see me bank?"

Without warning, a loud crash sounded from behind Jack, and he turned around to see that the bank had crashed into the side of the store, ripping away the walls and shattering the windows.

"Found it," Jack remarked, and Carina's jaw hung open at the madness.

"What in the name of-" Carina began to speak, but Jack grabbed onto her wrist and yanked her towards the rear entrance of the store. For a split-second, she was about to berate the pirate for touching her, but those thoughts were cut short by the sounds of gunfire and musket balls hitting the area where she was standing not but a moment ago. Jack burst through the back door, and then let his grasp on Carina's wrist go as they began to run their way through the back alley.

"Oh God, they're shooting at me! They're shooting at me!" Carina panicked. How did she get herself into this mess?

"Were you part of the plan?" Jack asked, thinking that nothing at this point would surprise him.

"I'm not looking for trouble!" Carina responded.

Jack did a double-take at her while he was running, and then said "What a horrible way to live!"

They saw that more Redcoats were chasing after them, with two coming dangerously close. Quickly, Jack shoved Carina into the alleyway on the right, and with lightning speed drew both of his pistols and shot the soldiers down. He holstered them and followed Carina down the next alleyway, climbing up a nearby ladder that led onto a roof. Once they made it to the top, Jack kicked the ladder to the ground, hoping it would buy them some time for them to put some distance between themselves and the Redcoats.

"How on Earth did you manage to steal a _bank_?" Carina asked Jack as he took out a cartridge from his belt and tore it with his teeth.

"The plan was to steal the _vault_ from the bank," he said, ramming the cartridge in with a ramrod, "but one thing led to another, and... well the plans that we plan hardly ever go according to plan, savvy?"

Carina was about to reply how that didn't make sense, but she heard the shouts of the soldiers down below. She knew that they didn't have long before they made their way up here, and there didn't appear to be any avenue of escape.

"We're trapped up here! What do we do?" she asked, hoping that the pirate had some idea.

As Jack holstered his pistol, he looked down the other side and saw an unattended hay cart just sitting there, with a full bale of hay and drawn by two horses. He suddenly got an idea.

Grabbing hold of Carina's shoulders, Jack looked her in the eye and, with a devilish grin, said "Sorry about this, but you need to scream."

"What are y- AAAAAHHHHHH!" Carina screamed as Jack pushed her off the roof. Fortunately, she landed safely in the bale of hay, and the horses began to spur at her voice.

Facing back up to the rooftop where she saw Jack, she called out "You filthy pirate!"

"No need for name-calling, love!" Jack shouted back at her, "Besides, this is the day you shall always remember as the day Captain Jack Sparrow saved your skin!"

Carina, angered at this lowlife thug, attempted to shout back a response, but she was too far away for him to hear her. She had to keep her head down anyway since the British soldiers had begun to shoot at her, but luckily enough none of the shots hit her, and the horses were too fast for the troops to keep up.

Jack chuckled, knowing that they'd attempt (and fail at) chasing her, giving him an opportunity to escape. He saw Gibbs and the crew dragging the bank from around the corner. Quickly, he ran along the rooftops of the building, making sure that he would jump on top of the bank at the precise moment. Eventually, his path intersected with the bank's, and Jack leapt across the gap and fumbled as he landed on the bank's roof. Jack got up and attempted to balance himself on the moving bank, looking down and seeing Gibbs and his crew continuing their advance.

Gibbs looked over his shoulder to see Jack standing atop the bank, and then he looked forward, seeing an archway in their path. He pointed at it with his finger, yelling "JACK!", causing the pirate to look ahead to see the upcoming bridge in their way, seeing that there wouldn't be enough clearance for the bank to get through.

"Oh bugger," Jack said.

The bank came in contact with the bridge, and Jack leapt for dear life off of the bank and onto the bridge. He then jumped off the bridge, hoping to avoid the debris of the crumbling bank, and coincidentally landed right on top of the vault, now liberated from the confines of the bank that was now a pile of crumbling debris covering the path of the archway. The Redcoats had no way to give chase now.

Jack laughed, as no one could get to them and he and his crew made it out in one piece with the vault.

"All in a day's work, I suppose," Jack said to himself, smiling. But deep down, he knew that for all of his successes, two setbacks were soon to follow for each one. All of his life, he had gotten lucky time and time again, but eventually that luck would run out. One day.

He just didn't know when.


	6. Bad Luck & Good Business

Jack's crew had managed to drag the vault all the way back to the dockyard, the threat of the British soldiers being virtually nonexistent. Once they had reached their destination, they hauled the vault onto the deck of a battered, old ship called _The Dying Gull._ Jack had managed to buy the ship for a relatively low price, but it did require some extensive repairs, and he and the crew spent countless months fixing all the imperfections (which was putting it mildly since there was a massive breach in the hull and no rudder to speak of). Still, it wasn't like Jack had a plethora of available options to choose from.

"I hope this was worth the effort," Pintel grunted, to which Jack responded, "No need to worry, mate. We'll be living like kings after this."

The crew opened the vault door, and Jack sighed when he looked inside and saw that only about a tenth of all the money in the vault remained, even with his efforts of scrounging up as many coins as possible.

There were audible complaints from the crew, with Marty looking inside, asking "Where's the gold? This will barely last us a month at most!"

Jack perused the vaults contents closely, trying to see if there was just some sort of error and that there was more gold to be contained within. He found nothing in the vault with the few pounds and coins, save for a glass eye with a brown iris. It must have been of high value to someone.

"On the bright side," Jack said, picking up the eye, "we have this. Oi Cyclops, this is yours mate."

Jack casually tossed the eye over to Ragetti, who giddily took hold of it and placed it in his eye socket, the brown glass iris being quite distinctive from his blue working one.

"Hey everyone, look!" Ragetti said, grinning like a child, "I'm heterosexual!"

Pintel smacked him on the back of the head, shouting "It's heterochromatic, you lobcock!"

"Jack," Gibbs began, "you said that this job would finally turn our luck around, but we're still in the same rut as before."

"Firstly," Jack began, turning to face his crew, "it was not _my_ idea to rob the bank, if you recall. I'm looking at you, birdie."

Jack pointed his finger at Cotton's parrot, which squawked, "RAWK! Jack is a liar! Jack is a liar!"

"Mr. Cotton, I would advise you to get that bird to stop deliberately insulting me," Jack finished, "Now, secondly, do you think it's easy robbing a bank?"

The crew unanimously said no, to which Jack responded "Well then, now you understand why it didn't work."

"The plan was for you to go in, tie the rope, and get out," Marty argued, "not for you to get drunk and in bed with the magistrate's wife!"

"The magistrate's wife was the one that let me into the vault, mate," Jack explained, "As for the rest... well, you got me there. But still, it isn't my fault things didn't go exactly according to plan."

"Is it now?" Marty responded, anger in his voice.

"We're starving 'ere, we have this dumpheap for a ship, and we've found so little gold that we can ill afford wooden planks to use as weapons!" Pintel shouted.

"Gentlemen, _please_ just bare with me for a short while longer," Jack began, "Our fortunes will turn soon eno-"

" _When,_ Jack?" Gibbs asked of him, "We can't hold off on promises that'll never happen."

"Maybe we should've taken our chances with Captain Barbossa," Pintel said, "He has command of the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ and ten other ships."

"He does practically rule the seas," Ragetti added, "Ships full of gold, eighteen-pound cannonballs..."

"A one-legged man with eighteen-pound balls?" Jack said aloud, thinking on that for a moment, "No wonder he walks funny."

"Maybe we should go back to Barbossa and see if he'll take us on his fleet," Marty inserted, "You've had a bag full of miniaturized ships for years and _still_ haven't figured out a way to get them out!"

Jack remembered that the fleet of ships that Gibbs had stolen from Blackbeard were still below deck. Marty was right, he still hadn't figured out how to get them out of those bottles or how to restore them to their natural size. The crews of those ships were still alive (albeit miniaturized), and Jack made sure that they got enough food and water to survive while he looked for a way to liberate them.

"And this is no ship as far as I can see," Pintel said, referring to the shoddy ship that they were standing on.

"But I am Captain of this crew, and I do have a ship," Jack defended, pulling out a small bottle from his coat containing a vessel with a blackened hull floating in the water. _The Black Pearl._

"That's no ship," Pintel complained, "Not anymore."

"And you're no longer our Captain, _Captain,"_ Marty practically spat, "Perhaps we are better off taking our chances with Barbossa."

Jack couldn't hold his temper back any longer, and then said "You should be thankful that I welcomed back all of you after you absconded with my ship years back. I should've killed you all on the spot for your treachery. But no, I took you back and gave you another shot, because I have a terrible streak of forgiving people that probably don't deserve it. Now if you all plan to seek out _Captain_ Barbossa, there won't be a spot on this crew for you when you get back."

The crew hardly flinched at Jack's threat, and after they had cleared out what little money that was in the vault, they began to walk off the ship all at once with the exception of Gibbs.

"Alright then! All of you are dismissed, you hear me? And don't even bother coming back!" Jack shouted out at his departing crew, "At least Mr. Gibbs here is loyal unlike you lot!"

Jack then felt Gibbs place his hand on his shoulder, and the pirate looked over to his longtime friend to see he had a solemn expression on his face.

"Face it Jack," Gibbs began, sounding defeated, "bad luck dogs you day and night. Things just aren't like they used to be anymore. We're getting old. Piracy's dying, my friend. We have to make the most of it while we still can."

"What are you saying, Joshamee?" Jack asked with concern, but Gibbs stayed silent. Jack continued, saying "After all these years, after everything we've been through, and you would do this to me?" Jack asked, feeling betrayed.

"I'm sorry Jack, but I think we've reached the end of our horizon," Gibbs said, patting his Captain's shoulder. Jack looked at him with a fair amount of shock at how his closest friend was prepared to walk out on him, and then Gibbs took his hand off of his shoulder.

"Fine then," Jack said in a low voice, "Go on. You don't need me."

Gibbs looked down towards the deck, and then proceeded to make his way off of the _Gull_ to join the rest of the departing crew.

Jack felt shocked and betrayed at what had just happened, but he knew Gibbs was right. There haven't been any successes lately for him or his crew. Bad luck _did_ seem to plague him day and night. He was always so certain of himself before, always knowing just exactly how to make a proper plan. But the past few years had begun to take their toll on him. He was getting old. He was losing his good fortune. He was beginning to feel tired.

All of his life, he was in pursuit of treasure, and he had nothing to show for it. Very little gold and a notorious reputation were all his efforts had ever gotten him. And in all that time, he had escaped the clutches of death time and time again, only to realize that he had nothing to really live for except for the temporary comforts of drink and pleasure.

Sighing, Jack pulled his compass from his belt and opened it, taking a look down and seeing the arrow pointing out towards the sea, the very thing he wanted more than anything else. He took the bottle that contained the _Pearl_ and placed it on the ledge at the back of the ship that was facing towards the open ocean. He lined it up just right so that when he looked at it from a certain angle, it looked if it was sailing the seas of the Caribbean once more. He longed for the day that he would be able to set it free, because he so desperately wanted to experience the euphoria of being in command of his ship. He had gone to numerous lengths to make sure the ship stayed his, because it was one of the few things left in this world that mattered to him.

* * *

Carina had managed to escape the guards that were chasing her, and she considered herself fortunate that her face hadn't been seen by them, nevermind the fact that she didn't get shot; she was still shaking from that. She didn't stop running until she had made it back to the _Rusty Anchor,_ hoping that she could have time to collect herself before she needed to do her calculations that night. When she got there, Carina went in through the back door, and breathed a deep sigh of relief as she closed her eyes and realized that she was safe (for the moment, anyway).

She looked down at the bottom of her dress and saw the area of where the rum had stained. She was frustrated at the thought of that drunken pirate from earlier and how he had almost gotten her killed. She also was frustrated because now she had to get a new dress because now hers reeked of booze and stale hay. Carina made her way upstairs to her room and locked the door behind her as she fell back on her bed, utterly exhausted over what had occurred that day. She looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm herself down, and then felt a little stinging pain in her upper left cheek. Getting up, she walked over to her mirror to see that a very small piece of glass was stuck in her cheek just below the corner of her eye, presumably from when the pirate's bottle had been destroyed by the shopkeeper's pistol.

"Goddammit," she swore, getting a pair of tweezers to pull the glass out of her face. When she finished, Carina used a wet towel to try to clear off the blood from that area. When she finished, she saw that she had gotten rid of it, but saw that it would leave a mark when it healed. It was small enough and to the left enough that it would be very hard to notice, but Carina was still frustrated because of how terrible her day was and how this would be a permanent reminder.

She looked at the watch that she had taken from the shop, and saw that she still had a few hours to kill before she needed to conduct her research when the blood moon came. Carina decided that she would ask Mr. Woodhull if she could work a little today despite the fact that he'd given her the day off. She really just needed to take some time doing something that would take her mind off of shooting, pirates, and stolen banks.

* * *

Jack began to wander aimlessly through the streets of St. Martin, having no clear idea of where he wanted to be. The sun was beginning to set, and it had also started to rain hard. If the Redcoats were to catch him for what happened earlier, he wouldn't give a damn.

But first, he needed a drink.

There was no more rum on board the _Gull,_ and Jack's last bottle had been destroyed in the chaos from earlier. He perused the streets, hoping to find some tavern or inn that would be a suitable place for him to drown his sorrows. The rain started to pour down harder, and Jack's clothing was becoming soaked.

He looked ahead and saw a platoon of Redcoats in the distance. Despite not caring if they arrested him, he wanted to at least have a quiet drink beforehand. He ducked into the alleyway on the left only to see that it was blocked off by a locked wooden gate. Desperate, Jack heaved himself over the gate, but he lost his balance halfway over and fell face-first into a pile of mud.

"Gah!" he uttered, spitting mud away from his mouth as he picked himself up off the ground. He saw that he was covered head-to-toe in mud when he stood up all the way, and then looked up to the sky in pure annoyance.

"Gonna try to make it even worse for me?" he said aloud, not sure if he was talking to God or the universe or just anyone who'd listen.

Sighing heavily, Jack looked across the street to see a tavern with lit candles in the windows. As he walked closer to the tavern, he was able to make out the sign that said _The Rusty Anchor._ Without hesitation, Jack walked inside, thinking that this would be a good place to reside a while and have a quiet drink. As he walked in, he saw wanted posters of himself adorning one of the columns, and worriedly looked around to see if anyone had noticed him. Luckily, it seemed that no one recognized him due to the fact that he was caked with mud, and so Jack heaved a sigh of relief as he slinked off towards an unoccupied table in the corner.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment as he sat in the wooden chair, exhaling from his sheer exhaustion and relishing in the relaxation. He took this moment to momentarily forget about pretty much everything, from his bad luck, to his crew abandoning him, to all of his adventures over the years, and he realized just how bone-tired he was.

He buried his head in his arms on the table for a moment, and then he heard light footsteps draw near him. He peeked up his attention to look at whoever was coming, and his eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Welcome to the _Rusty Anchor,_ sir. What would you li-" Carina began, but stopped herself when she saw past the mud and saw who was sitting there.

"It's you," she said in a hushed voice, pointing her finger at Jack, "the pirate!"

"Hey," Jack said, the realization dawning on him as well, "you're the witch from earlier!"

"I am _not_ a witch," Carina sternly replied.

"Well then I'm not a pirate," Jack replied with grin, but Carina was anything but amused.

"You nearly got me killed today!" she said through gritted teeth, "I have a scar here because of you!"

"What I did was that I saved your life, love. You should be thanking me," Jack said.

"I'd _rather_ be dead than indebted to a filthy, drunken pirate," Carina barked.

"And _I_ would rather not be scolded at by an ungrateful witch," Jack retorted, "Listen, you keep your tongue to yourself, I'll keep mine to me self, savvy?"

Carina wanted to press the argument further, but she sighed, knowing that Jack had as much leverage over her as she did over him. After a moment, she bitterly muttered, "Fine."

"Excellent," Jack said, grinning, "Do you happen to have a broomstick underneath that dress perchance?"

"Piss off," Carina replied, but Jack continued, asking "What about horny-toads? Magic wands? Have you got a big hat somewhere?"

"Would you like something to drink, kind sir?" Carina asked through a forced smile in an attempt to shut Jack up.

"Indeed I would, lass," Jack said, grinning some more, "A bottle of rum if you please."

Carina rolled her eyes as she walked over to the bar and pulled a bottle of rum off the top shelf. She walked back over to the table where Jack was sitting and placed it down hard on the table, slightly startling the pirate.

"Thank you kindly, miss," Jack said as he popped the cork off of the top of the bottle, but before he could take a sip he heard Carina go "Ahem!"

He looked over to the girl, and she said "I'll still be needing your silver."

"Very well then," Jack replied, and then he began to search his pockets for any coins he had on him. He searched practically every pocket, but couldn't find a single piece on him. He hadn't grabbed any of the money from the vault before his crew had taken the rest. He looked up at Carina, and he gave a sheepish grin.

"I don't seem to have any coin on me at the moment," Jack began, "Could I perhaps pay you back another day?"

"No coin, no rum," Carina stated, arms crossed.

Jack's brow furrowed for a moment. He knew that he didn't have any money on him, but he _really_ wanted this rum. His life had been so downhill lately that he needed one last drink.

"How about a trade?" Jack suggested, to which Carina gave a small nod. He attempted to offer her one of his pistols, but she said "No, I definitely do not want that."

"How about me sword?" he offered, but Carina again declined. Jack continued to make offers, saying "Me coat, me pelts, me hat? Actually, scratch that last part."

"I don't want any of those things," Carina said, "Don't you have anything useful?"

Jack was frankly offended by her comment about his effects not being "useful," but it didn't stop her from pressing him. Sighing, Jack looked down and saw the compass that he carried resting against his leg. This was one of his most prized possessions, next to the _Pearl_ of course. He had had this compass with him for so many of his journeys, always bringing him to the things he wanted most. But he didn't need it anymore. He had resigned himself to either drink himself to death in this tavern or drink until the guards arrested him and had him hung.

He took the compass off of his belt, and placed it on the table. He looked at the girl, and then asked "Does this work?"

Carina's eyes darted from the pirate to the compass and back. She didn't really see what she would use a compass for, but she said "I suppose so."

"Goody," Jack said, picking up the bottle of rum and drinking it with the bottom up. Carina rolled her eyes, and then grabbed the compass from the table. Turning away from the table, her mind went back to how the time for her calculations was drawing nearer. But suddenly, those thoughts were cut short by feeling a shaking in her hand. She looked down to the hand that was holding the compass and saw that it was vibrating somehow.

"What the?" she said, turning around to face Jack's table. Jack eyed the compass peculiarly, and the shaking had become so violent that Carina was forced to drop it back onto the table where it continued to vibrate.

Soon, the same sensation amplified greatly that the table started to shake, and then the other tables seemed to, and then the whole building seemed to, and then it seemed as if the whole island were shaking. The customers in the tavern began to panic, thinking that the cause of the shaking might be the storm or an earthquake.

"What's going on?" Carina asked Jack, panicking. Jack responded by putting his hands in the air and saying "I didn't do it!"

Without warning, the compass opened up, and Jack and Carina both saw the needle spinning in circles, picking up more speed with each rotation.

"It doesn't normally do this!" Jack tried to explain, and the establishment continued to shake, "Are you sure you're not a witch, lass?"

"Go to hell," Carina said, and Jack responded with "Now that is no way for a lady to talk. Didn't mummy and daddy teach you any manners?"

Carina was about to retort to the comment about her parents, but she thought better of it.

Suddenly, the compass stopped vibrating and the lid of it closed itself. The shaking that had engulfed St. Martin for a few moments had ended.

After this bizarre occurrence had ended, Jack immediately went back to drinking his rum, disregarding the compass completely. Against her better instincts, Carina took the compass again because she still needed payment for the drink, and then placed it in the money tray behind the bar before she rushed off towards her room so that she could get focused on doing her calculations for when the blood moon came. She just wanted this day to end.

"Pirate's life," Jack remarked, smiling to himself. Content with his rum in exchange for his prized compass, he drank away, drowning out the misery of the past few years. After a while, he had drunken so much rum that he eventually lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Salazar and his crew aimlessly stood around the _Silent Mary,_ much as they had been for the last thirty years. It was a miserable existence, to live forever shrouded in darkness with no hope for escape. The pain of not being able to die was worse than dying itself. They could not eat, sleep, or do anything except remain trapped in the Devil's Triangle for the rest of eternity. If Salazar wasn't certain that there was a Hell before, he sure was now. He was a dead man that couldn't die, and so all of his days were spent with nothing but pure anger at the pirate bastard that left him to this horrible fate. Each day, he would miss his homeland of Spain, he missed the feeling of daylight against his skin, the feeling of wine, women, and song that used to bring him joy as a young man.

But he missed so much more than even that, and his hatred of Jack Sparrow only grew at the thought of what he had taken from him. And Salazar wasn't the only one to suffer. Every single one of his crewmates were resigned to the same fate of being ghostly apparitions of their former selves, unable to return to the glory of Spain for their heroics against the pirates that ravaged the seas like the plague with their thievery and murder. Jack Sparrow had seen to it that all of their efforts and sacrifices were for nothing. Sometimes, Salazar would look at his own deathly appearance in the waters of the Triangle, and would actually wonder who was the real monster between him and Sparrow.

One day, he would have his revenge.

A crackling noise ensued, and Salazar and his crew looked up to see a crack in the cavernous ceiling, revealing a ray of light that was almost blinding. Rocks began to crumble all around the _Silent Mary,_ and more light began to show itself.

" _Capitan_ _,"_ Lesaro called out, rushing over to Salazar, "What is happening?"

Salazar didn't have an answer for his loyal lieutenant, because his gaze was fixated on the bright light emerging from the darkness.

"Jack Sparrow," Salazar said, rolling the "r"s in his speech, "That boy Henry must have reached him! He's done it!"

The last of the crumbling rock fell down around them as the Devil's Triangle was nothing more than a pile of rocks. The _Silent Mary_ was engulfed in the sun's rays, and Salazar looked in pure joy at the blue sky and clouds around him for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Daylight!" he giddily shouted out as he felt the warm comfort of the sun against his skin, "DAYLIGHT! WE ARE FREE!"

The rest of his crew cheered like they've never cheered before. Feeling the light for the first time in years, it almost felt like they were being born again. Their rocky prison was now gone, and they were finally freed from that hell that they had spent so long in.

Salazar stood with his arms outstretched, letting the sun kiss his skin with its warmth. Oh, how he had missed this.

"Now," he said, contently smiling, "it's time to hunt a pirate."

The day for his revenge had come at last.

* * *

_He had exited the carriage that had been escorting him to his destination. Before he set foot onto the cobblestone street, he put his tricorn hat upon his head and took a deep breath. Today was the big day._

_He walked in through the ornate walnut doors and made his way towards the office. He was feeling a bit nervous, but he had waited for this day for a long time. He had worked so hard to get where he was that he felt he deserved this. All of his life he wanted to do this, and now he would finally get the chance._

_He walked through the door to see him sitting behind his desk in a leather chair, perusing through his ledger._

_"Commodore," he said to the man sitting in the chair, saluting him. The Commodore looked at the young man before him and said "Lieutenant. So glad you could make it. Please, sit down."_

_The Lieutenant sat down in one of the chairs facing the Commodore's desk. As the Commodore started to close his ledger, the Lieutenant made sure his uniform was straightened out properly while also taking off his hat to be as formal as possible for this meeting._

_"I am so glad that we finally have the privilege of meeting at last," the Commodore said, "I apologize that we haven't had the chance beforehand."_

_"It's quite alright by me, sir," the Lieutenant responded, "We all have to perform our duties for His Majesty."_

_"Indeed," the Commodore said, grinning, "I took the liberty of examining your records, and I must say that I have never seen a more experienced officer of your age in my life. Participated in sixteen different engagements under the command of one Captain William Johnson, reportedly sunk at least twenty enemy vessels, single-handedly killed forty-seven men that we know of, and rumor has it that your crewmates describe you as having 'the luck of the Devil.'"_

_The Lieutenant chuckled at that last comment, and said "The men I serve with are very illustrative and like to exaggerate. You know how it is with soldiers and sailors, spreading gossip."_

_"But it certainly isn't gossip the fact that these numbers exist," the Commodore said, very pleased with the Lieutenant's record, "You seem very much like the sort of man that would make a great addition to our company. I am prepared to offer you a position in our fleet, with a promotion to the rank of Captain, double the pay you currently receive, and your own ship to command."_

_"I'm flattered, truly," the Lieutenant said, "but my loyalties are with King and Country. I think I'm better off where I am in the Royal Navy."_

_"Are you sure about that?" the Commodore asked, "A man of your talents deserves all the benefits he can get from such an honorable position. And make no mistake, you still will be serving King and Country with me. What we do is make sure that trade among allies of our glorious empire remains in tact. In short, you will continue to do what you have done in the Navy, but more direct. Not only will you transport goods, but you will be protecting merchants from the threat of pirates that threaten their lives and livelihoods."_

_"I do hate pirates," the Lieutenant said, "Can't stand to think of those blighters. They're a scourge to this earth that need to be eradicated if we're to have peace."_

_The Commodore lightly smiled as he looked at his desk for a moment, and then his attention returned to the Lieutenant and said, "I also understand from your record that your father was one, was he not?"_

_The Lieutenant's hand balled into a fist at the mention of his father, whereupon he said to the Commodore, "Make no mistake, I don't think anything of that man either. If I ever see him again, I will take great pleasure in shooting him myself."_

_"I understand completely," the Commodore continued, "I did have reservations about selecting you for this given who your father was, but your record and your mother's family have convinced me otherwise, along with your wife."_

_The Lieutenant smiled at the thought of his beloved, and the Commodore continued on, saying "How is my sister anyway? I regret not being able to attend the wedding. I hope that you have been treating her with the proper respect she deserves."_

_"I have," the Lieutenant responded firmly, "If my home was Great Britain, then she would be the Queen of it."_

_"I am glad to hear it," the Commodore smiled, standing up and offering his hand, "Do we have an accord?"_

_The Lieutenant didn't hesitate in standing up, and he took the Commodore's hand in his own and said, "We do."_

_"Welcome to the East India Trading Company, Captain. I know we'll do good business together," the Commodore said with a smile. He then gestured him to follow him out back of his residence where a naval dockyard resided. Directly in front of them was a magnificent frigate unlike any other that the former Lieutenant had seen in his life. The hull and its sails were a bright white color, and it structural design was unparalleled in his mind._

_"165 feet long, 32 twelve-pound cannons, and a speed that it unparalleled by any other ship in our fleet," the Commodore explained, "And she's all yours."_

_"I am deeply honored, Commodore Beckett," the new Captain said, partially bowing, "Does she have a name?"_

_"Well Jonathan," Beckett began, "the builders have christened her_ The Wicked Wench."

* * *

Jack woke up with a start just like he had this morning, and saw that he was lying on the ground with his bottle of rum nearly empty. His head was pounding from the hangover, and he drunkenly got up and started to walk out of the tavern, continuing to drink from his bottle despite the pain in his head. As he wandered out onto the street, he saw that it was starting to get darker out and the rain was pouring out even harder, washing away some of the mud on his clothes. As he continued to wander, he could've sworn that he had the most peculiar dream.

Preparing to take the last sip from the bottle, a loud boom sounded through the air and a musket ball shattered his bottle, to which Jack jumped back and shouted "Can people stop shooting at me while I drink in peace!?"

"There he is!" a voice shouted, and Jack saw at least half a dozen Redcoats rushing up to him. Two of them restrained his arms, while their leader walked up calmly with his hands behind his back.

"We got him, Captain Scarfield! We got Jack Sparrow!" one of the soldiers holding Jack said.

"How many times do I have to say it? It's 'Captain' Jack Sparrow. The 'Captain' is paramount, gentlemen," Jack said, rather annoyed.

"The only thing that's paramount is that you'll be hanged for your crimes on the morrow, pirate," Scarfield spat at Jack, and gestured to one of his men to come forward and he knocked Jack out with the butt of his musket.

Once Jack was knocked out, Scarfield's men took the unconscious pirate with them, and they would place him in the prison for the night before he would be executed.


	7. Blood Moons & Bloodletting

A lone pirate vessel sat in the middle of the sea, taking a break from buccaneering activities for a short while. One of the crew members made their way above deck to get a drink from the barrel of water up there. He took the ladle that was sitting in the open barrel and brought it to his lips, letting the cold liquid run down his throat. After he finished drinking, he turned his head and he saw the most peculiar sight. It looked to be a small bird, but it was unnaturally blackened and was missing its right leg, yet stood as if it still had it. It squawked, and the pirate could've sworn he was seeing things. He took some of the water from the barrel and splashed his face, thinking the heat was just getting to him. When he turned to look at the bird again, he saw it was gone.

He scoffed at his own hallucination, but then he saw something up in the distance. It looked to be a ship, but its masts were dragging in the water and the ribs were exposed. But even despite its wrecked state, it looked to be sailing towards the pirate ship.

As it got closer, the front of the ship began to lift up, rising in the air and exposing more of the battered underside. The bottom then opened up what was left, dividing the ribs like a set of teeth ready to clamp down. The pirate stepped back in fear of the ghostly ship, and he turned his head to the side to see the undead bird flapping its wings and screeching in his face.

As the pirate let out a scream of terror, the _Silent Mary_ closed its teeth upon the ship, crashing against it and causing the ship to sink down to the depths.

* * *

Night was fast approaching, and soon the sun would be no more. The island of St. Martin was getting ready for it's slumber, and hardly anyone in the town was walking through the streets.

This proved itself fortunate for Henry, who had finally managed to row all the way to St. Martin after two days with no food, little water, and little sleep. If he had arrived during the daytime, then the guards would've definitely asked questions, and it wouldn't take them long to find out who he was. If they did that, he couldn't think of a way to explain to them how the _Monarch_ had been set upon by ghosts that didn't end with him lined up against the wall.

But the threat of the British executing him for treason was the least of his worries. Henry was still terrified at what he had witnessed only days ago. He thought that he had seen strange before given his father's curse, but Salazar was different. The man was a savage killer even before the Devil's Triangle left him and his crew cursed. He was so certain that he would die that day, but he considered himself beyond lucky that he had managed to escape Salazar's wrath. Just seeing the look in his eyes, his deep hatred for Jack Sparrow, was enough for a chill to run down his spine at the mere memory. He had read about _El Matador Del Mar_ when he was a boy, but nothing could've prepared him for what he saw that day.

Now more than ever, he needed to find Jack. Based on what Salazar said to him, he somehow _knew_ that he would be free very soon. And when that happened, not only would Jack's life be in danger, but so would every other pirate in the seas. The crew of the _Silent Mary_ were unable to be killed, so if their reach extended beyond the Triangle, then everything would be at stake. Henry surmised that the Trident of Poseidon, able to control the power of the seas, could be the only thing that could stop Salazar should he escape. Now he had double the reason to find it as soon as he could, and he would need Jack Sparrow's help to do it.

First, he needed to find him.

Henry exited the lifeboat when he reached the dock and walked towards the center of town, looking for any signs of Jack. He had heard that Jack had been seen on the island a few months back, but there was no guarantee that he was still here. But it sufficed for a start, and he continued to look around, eventually finding the side of a building adorned with wanted posters of the pirate. The bottom of it said that the reward was 10,001 guineas for him dead, and Henry wondered what the one extra guinea was for.

He decided that he should probably start looking in some of the local taverns to see if anyone had seen Jack around there. From what he remembers his mother telling him, Jack was very fond of drinking excessively. She had called him an alcoholic, but Henry thought that he couldn't have been that heavy of a drinker for him to do all the things he did. Moving past this thought, he looked around some of the local establishments, asking if anyone had seen Jack Sparrow anywhere, and all of them said that they'd never seen him before but that he did rob a bank earlier that day. Henry's hopes shot up, knowing that Jack must still be in the area. He kept searching, until finally he walked through a tavern called the _Rusty Anchor._ Before he began to ask around, he asked the barkeep for a drink and a table because he finally felt the exhaustion and dehydration set in after days without water or sleep. After he had gotten his drink he drank it down and began staring at the floor, the horrifying image of Salazar still in his head.

* * *

Carina was in her room, keeping one eye on her watch and another on her calculations that she had drawn up on her desk. The blood moon was nearly here, and she felt nervous at the thought of unlocking the next clue that lead to the Trident. Galileo's diary had said something would reveal itself in the stars when the blood moon came, something that only she would be able to make out. She was almost sweating from the anxiety, obsessing over the fact that she would finally continue the quest started by her father. His calculations from years ago had gotten her this far, so she felt humbled that she could pick up the trail where he left off and finally prove to herself and everyone else that she was meant for greatness.

_I'll make you proud, father. I promise you._

Carina looked from the sketches of constellations on her paper, and looked over to her watch to see that the hour had come at last. It was bound to happen any minute now.

The clouds moved in the night sky, and the moon revealed itself, showing it's blood-red color to the whole island, engulfing it in a sea of red light. Carina looked out of her window and up in the night sky awestruck, never having seen such a beautiful sight in her life. She looked around the skies to see what clue would be revealed, looking at the known constellations for any sign of the clue that Galileo described. But there was nothing. Carina checked Orion, the Dippers, Capricorn, Scorpius, all the known constellations that she could see, and she found nothing. Not even her namesake was revealing any clue.

She knew she must've been missing something, so she directed her attention back to the diary to see what she had missed. But when she did, she saw something most peculiar. The ruby on the front cover of the diary was glowing. Not just reflecting the light from the moon, but actually _glowing._ Bewildered, Carina looked through the diary to see if any clue revealed itself, but it didn't. The pages remained the same. Sighing, she closed the diary, but then she saw something on the cover of the book, just below the ruby. It looked like the faint outline of a constellation, but she hadn't seen this one before, neither on the book nor in the heavens. It was five stars total, and it was in the shape of what she supposed was the Trident. But it was a most irregular shape; it wasn't symmetrical like she was expecting. It was jagged, with the prong on the left jutting farther out than the other two on the right, and those two were almost touching each other.

Carina was confused at what this meant, given that the constellation that was revealed to her didn't exist. And nothing else was shown about a location or a path or anything. She had hit a dead end and was no closer to finding the Trident than her father was.

Frustrated, she shoved her notes in between the pages of the diary, and then forcefully pushed the book to the side. She placed her elbows on the desk and buried her face in her hands in disappointment. She was _that_ close to figuring it all out, and then nothing. All of her travelling, all of her work, every sacrifice she made, it was for nothing.

_I'm sorry, father._

She moved her hands away from her face, and then picked up the diary and held it in her hands, eyeing the glowing ruby with curiosity. What good was knowing what a constellation looked like if it didn't exist?

Suddenly, it became apparent to Carina that maybe she was missing something. Carefully, she pulled on the ruby, loosening it from the cover of the book. She eventually pulled it out all the way, and when she did she saw that the light that came from the ruby was revealing more on the cover of the diary than she had initially thought. It showed an island, and above it the nonexistent constellation glowed even brighter than it had before. Carina's eyes widened at the fact that now she had an idea of what to look for, but she was no closer in knowing what this constellation meant.

She used the light of the ruby to further scan the cover, and she saw that there was writing towards the bottom. It was written in Italian, and (though her Italian was very rusty), she was able to make out a translation of what was written:

_For those that find this manuscript_

_There is a power that lies in Poseidon's crypt_

_Hidden in the map no man can read_

_Are directions from Asteria that no man has see'd_

_Revealed once in three decades by a moon of blood_

_Five days only can the worthy travel should the gods' will be understood_

_To carry out their will and fulfill the goal_

_Restore the piece that was part of the whole_

_The Trident holds the power to control the wind and tide_

_And to release this power, all must divide_

Carina's hopes shot up by the time she finished reading. She _hadn't_ reached a dead end after all. She knew exactly what to look for. After the blood moon ended tonight, the nonexistent constellation would show itself in the night sky for the next five days. Though she was uncertain of this claim being supported by science, it seemed to be of Galileo's observation that he had seen the constellation himself, and sketched it on the front of the diary. He had spoken of "the map no man can read" in his writings, which obviously was in reference of the heavens, created by the Titan Asteria in Greek mythology. She surmised that the "piece that was part of the whole" was the ruby on the cover, for there was no other reference to a missing piece of anything in the book. She was confused by the last lines of the riddle, though, for she didn't know what "all must divide" meant. She supposed she would figure it out when she found the Trident.

But for now, Carina was content. She closed the book and held it close to her chest, closing her eyes and relishing in that she had found the next clue. She had waited so long for this moment. Her father would be proud of her if he were alive.

Placing the book back down on the desk, Carina realized that she only had five days after tonight to locate the Trident. She couldn't embark on her journey tonight, because for one the way hadn't revealed itself yet, and for another she didn't have a ship to take her to the island. Carina knew that she couldn't share her knowledge with just anyone; they'd either dismiss her findings as mere fantasies or have the guards arrest her for "witchcraft." She had to make sure that she could completely trust whomever she would barter with that would believe her.

She lifted up the hem of her dress, and put the diary, the ruby, and her watch in a makeshift pouch tied to her waist underneath. She then exited her room and made her way downstairs to see if there was anyone in the tavern that could help her. She noticed that the pirate from earlier was gone (thank God), but before she could observe the other patrons, Mr. Woodhull came up to her and told her that he needed assistance, starting with a young man over at one of the tables that requested another drink.

Carina took another bottle of rum from the shelf behind the bar, and made her way over to the young man's table and refilled his mug, saying "Here you go, sir."

Henry didn't reply; he didn't even look at her. He was still staring at the floor, Salazar's menacing presence not leaving him. Carina looked at him oddly, and then asked "Are you okay?"

Henry looked up at her, and Carina saw the blood on his lip. Despite this, Henry replied "I'm fine, thanks."

"You don't look it to me," Carina acknowledged, concerned, "What happened?"

"I was in a spot of trouble, that's all you need to know," Henry said, taking a sip of his drink. Carina sighed, turning away because of the young man's stubbornness. Before she took a step forward, Henry spoke to her and said "I'm looking for a pirate by the name of Jack Sparrow. Have you happened to see him?"

Carina froze at the mention of the pirate's name, the drunken fool that had almost gotten her killed today. She turned to face Henry, and inquired "Jack Sparrow?"

"You know him?" Henry asked, his interest piqued.

"I had a run-in with him earlier today, why do you ask?" Carina answered, sitting down in the chair opposite of Henry.

"I need his help," Henry said, "That spot of trouble that I had, he's the only one that can help me with it. He's the only one that can get me to the Trident of Poseidon."

Carina's jaw dropped. Someone other than her believed that the Trident existed. She must've been dreaming.

"The Trident of Poseidon?" Carina inquired, "You believe it's real?"

"Yes, I do," Henry responded firmly, knowing full well what finding it meant to him.

Carina couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her face broke out into a wide smile and she chuckled lightly.

"What? What is it?" Henry asked, whereupon Carina said "I've been searching for the Trident my entire life, and not _once_ have I ever met someone who believed it to be real!"

Henry's eyes widened, and he said "Really? I've never met anyone who believed it was real either."

The two smiled at each other, and then Carina said "Tell me, why do you seek the Trident?"

"I read that the Trident holds the power to break any curse of the sea. My father is trapped by such a curse," Henry finished, but Carina looked at him with an expression of amusement and doubt.

"Are you touched in the head or something?" she asked, to which Henry responded "Sorry, beg your pardon?"

"You do know that curses aren't supported by science, right?" Carina asked, wondering what Henry was playing at.

"Neither is the Trident," Henry said, looking around the room as he did so.

"I beg to differ," Carina replied with confidence, pulling out Galileo's diary from the pouch under her dress. Henry looked upon the book with intent, and then begged the question "Is that what I think it is?"

"This diary belonged to the astronomer Galileo Galilei. It belonged to my father before he died, and I've had it since I was a kid. Galileo spent his life looking for the Trident, and his work was the reason why we know the Earth to be round instead of flat," Carina explained.

"I remember reading about Galileo," Henry said, "He said that he encountered something of great power in a 'sea of stars.' You believe this is the Trident too?"

"I do," Carina said, "There was a blood moon tonight, and it revealed a clue. It's a constellation that can only be seen once every thirty years for five days only. The constellation leads to an island which is told to be where the Trident is. But we'll need to find a ship if we're to find the island in time."

"We?" Henry asked, surprised by the assumption.

"You want the Trident, don't you? Well, so do I," Carina said, putting the diary back in her pouch, "My father died searching for the Trident, and I made a promise to him that I would find it. I won't let him down."

"Then I'll help you," Henry said, "But I still need to find Jack Sparrow."

"What do you need that drunken pirate for?" Carina asked, wondering what Henry's intentions were.

"Sparrow was a friend of my father at one point," Henry answered, his voice trailing off, "and he also has a ship. If I can reach him, he'll get us to the Trident on time. Do you know where he's gone?"

"I have no idea. He was here a little bit ago drinking in the corner, but I don't know where his is," Carina said, and then she asked, "What's your name anyway?"

"Henry Turner," he replied, "Yours?"

Carina was about to answer him, but the doors of the tavern burst open and in came a half-dozen Redcoats, with the shopkeeper from earlier ahead of them.

"That's her! That's the witch!" he shouted pointing his finger right at Carina, "She was the one that destroyed my shop and caused the blood moon!"

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Carina said, standing up while raising her hands in the air, "Not this again."

"Carina Smyth," Scarfield said, emerging from behind his troops, "you are under arrest for destruction of property and practicing witchcraft. You shall be hanged on the morrow for your crimes, and may God have mercy on your heathen soul."

One of the Redcoats came behind Carina and restrained her arms behind her back, and she began to panic. There was no escaping this time. She was escorted out by the soldier restraining her, and then Scarfield said to the soldier next to him, "She'll swing along with the pirate."

Henry sat there the entire time, watching as Carina was being taken away by the guards and listening to every word. His only hopes of finding the Trident lay with Jack and Carina, and they were both going to be hung. He knew he had to do something about it before it was too late. If they were to die, the Trident would be lost, his father would remain cursed, and there would be nothing to stop Salazar.

* * *

Over in Tortuga, the pirate haven, a magnificent vessel sat docked in place. The ship had once belonged to the feared pirate Edward Teach, better known as "Blackbeard," but was now under the command of a pirate feared probably more than Teach ever would be. His name was Hector Barbossa, and the ship was known as the _Queen Anne's Revenge._

Ever since he killed Blackbeard, Barbossa had taken over both his vessel and his crew, who greatly respected him for his charisma and leadership, which in turn made them some of the best pirates to sail the seas. Barbossa amassed a fleet of ships under his command, and none would dare oppose them unless they bore the colors of the military or had a death wish.

The crew of the _Revenge_ were enjoying themselves, drinking from casks of wine and playing music. But not all were taking part in the festivities. Murtogg and Mullroy, two former Royal Marines who had joined Barbossa's crew, were fretting as they made their way towards his cabin, bickering between the two.

"I'm not going in there to tell him!"

"It was _your_ idea!"

"No, it was _my_ idea for _you_ to tell him!"

"He likes you better!"

"He doesn't like anybody!"

They had finished their bickering by the time they made it to the cabin doors, and they walked in. Barbossa was sitting below them in an ornate leather chair, wearing his classic pirate attire, brown coat and orange sash all, minus his favorite wide-brimmed hat as he was enjoying his dinner while listening to a group of cellists play for him. He was about to take a bite from a green apple when the two bumbling pirates walked in and began to speak.

"Sorry sir."

"We know you said never to disturb you."

"Or to come in without good cause."

"Or to speak without first... um..."

"Or to speak unless our thoughts were absolutely necessary."

"Like the time the ship was on fire."

"That being an example of necessary thoughts. Again, we do apologize for starting that fi-"

Barbossa lost his patience with the two, and put down his apple and whipped out his favored skull-handled pistol and fired a shot at the ceiling above the two scoundrels, causing them to flinch and the musicians to stop playing.

"SPEAK!" Barbossa ordered, frustrated by their disturbance.

"We picked up Scrum and two others. Apparently someone's been attacking our ships," Murtogg began.

"We've lost three ships so far. The _Hook,_ the _Barnacle,_ and the _Mermaid._ Only one man from each crew has been left alive to tell the tale," Mullroy continued.

"The men that lived said that they were attacked by an enemy that gave no provocations and took no riches. They were just slaughtered," Murtogg continued.

"Scrum said that they were attacked by a Captain called, um... Salamander, I think," Mullroy said.

"Actually, I think it was Salvator, wasn't it?" Murtogg inquired.

"Salavar?" Mullroy asked, "I dunno, but it was definitely Spanish. Or was it Portuguese?"

Barbossa stood up with a start, looking away from Murtogg and Mullroy. This couldn't be true. He was there that day. He had watched him die. There was no way he could've survived that. He placed his pistol on the table in front of him and started to tremble. It just wasn't possible.

"Salazar..." he uttered, his voice rich with fear.

"That's the one, your sirness!" Murtogg said confidently, "Salazar!"

Barbossa had seen his fair share of strangeness and danger in his life, but Salazar returning from the dead? This was a nightmare. He grabbed his pistol and his hat, holstering the former and putting on the latter, and then grabbed his cane that doubled as a blunderbuss as he limped with his peg-leg out of his cabin. He saw Scrum and the others had been brought to the top deck, and then Barbossa walked up to them and got down on his good knee.

"What happened, Scrum?" Barbossa asked with concern.

Scrum was trembling with terror, his arms around himself as he shook back and forth, muttering "He's coming for us. He's coming for all of us. He wants his revenge. He wants his revenge."

"Why did he spare ye, Scrum?" Barbossa asked, and then Scrum turned to face his Captain.

"He leaves one to tell the tale," he whimpered, "His ship was a cage of death. His crew couldn't be killed. He wants us all dead. He wants revenge."

Barbossa was disturbed by Scrum being so mortified by what had happened, and so what he did next was get off of the _Revenge_ and make his way to meet an old friend.

He walked into an isolated hut on the outskirts of Tortuga, and walked in and was greeted with the sight of a feminine figure wearing a black cloak facing away from him.

"I have been expecting you, Captain Barbossa," the woman said, removing her hood to reveal her bald, mark-covered head.

"Shansa," Barbossa addressed the witch.

"The price of crossing my door is _blood,_ Captain," Shansa said, an aura of mystery to her tone. But Barbossa merely replied, "That would explain why you're not so busy."

Shansa turned to face the pirate, and then said "Everyone pays... eventually."

"I've already paid my blood already," Barbossa responded, thinking back to what had happened on Isla de Muerta twenty years ago. The hand that wasn't resting on his cane-gun reached for his chest, where he could still feel the scars underneath his waistcoat.

Continuing, Barbossa said "And besides, we made a bargain long ago. I saved you from the gallows, remember? And I've protected you while you've resided here. And in return you would help me should the need arise, and the time for that has come at last."

"Yes," Shansa began, "the time has come, for now the dead have taken command of the sea."

"And what would the dead be wanting with me?" Barbossa inquired, stepping closer to the witch.

"It's not you that they want," Shansa answered, "They're searching for a _Pearl_ , a girl, a boy, and a Sparrow."

Barbossa blinked at the last answer, and then uttered "Jack?"

"Jack Sparrow will sail for the Trident of Poseidon," Shansa continued, "It is his only hope of survival."

"The Trident of Poseidon?" Barbossa inquired, "That's just a tale."

"Just like the curse you bore for ten years, yes?" Shansa said, tilting her head slightly. Barbossa grumbled, and Shansa continued, saying "The dead are conquering the sea, slaughtering every pirate they see on the ocean, unable to step on dry land. Maybe you should consider retiring to the countryside, perhaps? Until Jack finds the Trident at least."

Barbossa felt insulted by the suggestion. Someone of his notorious reputation wasn't prepared to back down this easily.

"You mean... grass?" he asked, "On a farm somewhere? Milking a cow, making cheese? I will do no such thing. I am Captain Hector Barbossa, slayer of Blackbeard, king of the seas. This be _my_ ocean. _I_ be the master of the sea, _not_ Salazar!"

"Ask yourself this, Captain," Shansa began, "Is the sea really yours? And if it is, is it worth dying for?"

"I'm a pirate," Barbossa said proudly, "Always have been, always will be. So how do I hold on to what be under my control?"

"Jack held a compass, a compass that didn't point North, given to him by the witch Tia Dalma," Shansa said.

"Aye, Calypso," Barbossa remarked, "But what does that have to do with this?"

"The compass points you to whatever you want the most," Shansa began, "but betray the compass and it releases whatever you dread the most."

"Impossible," Barbossa said, "I have never heard of such a thing before. Besides, Jack would never betray his compass. And even if he did, the thing he fears most is _not_ Salazar. I was there that day, he kept his calm. Not a flicker of fear in him."

"And what does Jack Sparrow fear most then, Hector?" Shansa asked.

Barbossa thought on the matter for a moment, and then he said "His end."

Shansa gave a wicked grin, and then said "Precisely."

Barbossa blinked again, "So you be saying that Salazar will be Jack's end?"

"Not unless he gets to the Trident first," Shansa told him. She reached behind herself and pulled something attached to a small rope. It was Jack's compass.

"Where in the blazes did you get that?" Barbossa asked, surprised.

"I have my ways," Shansa replied, "You have a choice, Hector Barbossa. You can either choose to let Jack live and risk losing everything you have, or you can lead the dead to Sparrow before he finds the Trident and you will keep your control of the sea. The choice is yours."

Barbossa thought about his options carefully, and then he took the compass from the witch's grasp, and then said "Time to make a deal with the devil."


	8. The Great Escape

Henry had carefully made his way over to the prison in St. Martin, avoiding any patrols of Redcoats as he went along. When he finally arrived at his destination, he saw it was guarded pretty heavily, but considerably less than Henry's posting at Port Royal. Still, it would make sneaking in a difficult challenge and breaking Jack and Carina out even harder. Nevertheless, he had to try. He had made a promise to his father that he'd find the Trident, and he wasn't about to be deterred now.

He managed to sneak past the sentries posted on the towers, and made his way through the open courtyard into the open main hallway that lead to the guard posts. Carefully, he made his way up a flight of steps, and outside of what looked to be sleeping quarters hung a soldier's coat and hat, the insignia indicating that it belonged to a private. Knowing he'd have better chances of sneaking around with it, Henry put on the guard's uniform and made his way down to the prison cells. If he couldn't break the two of them out tonight, then at least he could attempt to come up with a plan for springing them out before they were executed.

Henry made his way down to the dungeons, careful to avoid drawing attention to himself, and started to see if Jack was in one of the cells. He gulped, because after all these years he was about to meet the legendary Jack Sparrow. He was nervous at the thought of meeting him at last, only knowing him through stories told by his mother and what he had heard as a boy. And for him to be saving his life, it seemed like a dream. But then Salazar flashed in his mind again, and Henry realized that this could very well be a nightmare.

"Psst," Henry whispered, coming upon a cell where an old man with a white beard lay slumped against the wall, "I'm looking for a pirate, Jack Sparrow. Have you seen him?"

"Bugger off," the old man muttered rudely, and Henry stepped back from the cell, intending to continue his search. He looked over at the adjacent cell, and he saw a figure wearing a large brown overcoat and a leather tricorn hat standing and facing the small window out of the cell.

"Hey," Henry called over to the figure, leaning against the cell bars, "have you seen Jack Sparrow anywhere?"

The figure gave no reply, and Henry, sighing, turned his back to see about the other prisoners. Before he could take a step forward, he felt something seize him from behind, and he was pulled back against the metal bars of the cell he had just looked in. An arm covered his mouth, and the commotion caused the hat that Henry was wearing to fall to the ground.

"Hand me your sword," a voice ordered, and Henry, struggling against the arm around his throat, weakly responded "I don't have a sword!"

"What kind of soldier has no weapon?" the voice spoke again, to which Henry replied "The kind that deserts their post."

"Ah," the voice said, "so not the very good kind, then?"

"Please, I don't want any trouble," Henry pleaded with the voice, "I'm just looking for a pirate - Jack Sparrow."

The lock around Henry's throat lessened, and then the arm released fully from around him. Catching his breath, he turned around to face who grabbed him a moment before.

"No matter how many times I've said it over a number of years I can no longer keep track of," Jack said, "it's 'Captain' Jack Sparrow. 'Captain.' Why does nobody remember the 'Captain' part?"

Henry just stood there, dumbfounded. Were his ears functioning properly? Was he sleep-deprived? Was he going mad? Had this man said he was Jack Sparrow? He looked over his appearance, and saw it was extremely shabby for someone who was held up to be one of the greatest pirates to have ever lived. Not only that, but the man's face seemed completely uncaring as to the situation he was in, he smelt heavily of booze and filth, and to top it all off, he wasn't wearing any trousers.

Henry gave a weak chuckle. This had to be some kind of joke, right? There was no way this was _the_ Jack Sparrow. The man he had grown up to admire, hearing stories of his magnificent escapades across the high seas, was _this?_

"No," Henry said in disbelief, "It can't be. I've spent my entire life searching for you, and all I find is... _this?_ Jack Sparrow is not some drunken fool in a cell."

"Tread very carefully with your words, boy," Jack threatened, none too amused by the remarks being made about him.

"No, I won't!" Henry nearly shouted, "Do you know how long I've waited for this day? All the risks I took to be here? The things I've seen?"

"Frankly, I don't even know who you are, so why should I care what you've been through?" Jack inquired, quickly becoming impatient.

"My name is Henry Turner," he responded, "son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann."

Jack blinked a few times at that last bit, and his mouth opened slightly. He hadn't heard those names in a long time.

"Come again?" Jack asked, uncertain what he had heard.

"You knew them long ago, right?" Henry inquired. He had to make sure that he had the right person, "You saved my father's life."

Jack couldn't believe this. They had a _son?_ Never had that thought ever crossed his mind. When Bootstrap Bill was part of his crew, he knew he had a son, but to picture Will and Elizabeth as parents... it just seemed out of the ordinary for him. Though the boy did bare a striking resemblance to his father in particular, it was simply hard for him to see that in his mind. After all, they were practically kids themselves when Jack knew them.

"You're the spawn of those two? Uggh!" Jack said in disgust, "I don't know how that's possible considering your father's a cursed eunuch and your mother - hey does mummy ever ask about me?"

Henry rolled his eyes and exhaled in annoyance, but Jack continued, saying "I remember her vividly. Golden-haired, stubborn, neck like a giraffe, and two of those wondrous-"

"Do you want out of here or not?" Henry said, his voice becoming tense as Jack started to get on his nerves more and more.

"Maybe, maybe not," Jack said, turning away and resting his arm on the straw dummy he had set his coat and hat upon, "I've spent a great deal of my life trying to avoid the gallows. I think chancing it would be a nice change of pace, eh? I'd probably have better luck with _that_..."

Henry swallowed as Jack's voice trailed off at the end there. He remembered what the old man aboard the _Monarch_ had said to him about Jack being "long gone." He expected him being slightly off-kilter in any scenario where he met him, but here he just seemed defeated. Like he had given up on himself completely and was just waiting for his own demise to come.

"Someone told me that you had died and were buried in an unmarked grave," Henry said, adding nothing else to his statement.

"Yeah?" Jack listened, "Well, I might as well be. Pirates like me, we're a dying breed. We'll probably all be gone within a few years anyway. Whatever it was you heard about me, I'm not the man I once was. I've lost me luck."

Henry's frustration with Jack not being what he expected dissipated, replaced with a sense of pity for the aging pirate. What had happened that made him the way he was?

"Sorry if I'm not the Sparrow that you imagined meeting, Henry," Jack apologized, looking over his shoulder at the young Turner, "All I can say is that your parents were some of the best people I ever knew."

Jack heaved a heavy sigh, and Henry thought it best to move on from Jack's misfortunes to more pressing concerns.

"Jack," Henry began, "I came here because I need your help. I don't know how to help you turn your fortunes around, but I can't have you swing from the gallows just yet. I think I've figured out a way to save my father."

Jack turned around to face Henry, placing his other arm on the straw dummy, and then explained "The only way to save your father from the _Dutchman's_ curse is to open that chest and stab his heart. Death is the only way he'll ever be free."

"Actually, not quite," Henry began, "there may be something else that can save him. The Trident of Poseidon holds the power of the sea and can break any curse. I have a solid lead on it."

Jack froze, his eyes widening and his grip on the dummy tightening.

"The Trident?" he asked, "It's real?"

"Yes, and I need your help to get it if my father is to be freed," Henry elaborated, and Jack turned around again and walked over towards the window of his cell and looked out into the night sky.

"The Trident can only be found with the map no man can read," Jack said, "Are you saying you've found the way?"

"Well, not me, but there's a girl inside this prison that holds the answers," Henry explained, "She ran into you earlier today. She's sentenced to be hanged for witchcraft."

"Her?" Jack inquired, thinking back to earlier when he encountered that girl twice, "I _knew_ she was a witch!"

"She's not," Henry continued, "Her name is Carina, and we'll need her in order to find the Trident."

Henry waited for a response, but none came from Jack. He was continuing to gaze out the window.

"Jack?" Henry asked, thinking he had lost his attention.

"Sorry, I was just thinking for a moment," Jack said, turning around to face Henry, "Carina... that's a pretty name."

"So do we have an accord?" Henry asked, extending his hand, "You help me free my father, the Trident is yours. With it, you can become the pirate you once were, the one I heard stories about growing up."

Jack thought on that for a moment, thinking of what he could do with the Trident. He would never lose another battle. He could even perhaps restore the _Pearl_ to its former glory. He took the boy's hand and shook it, saying, "That we do, Mr. Turner. That we do."

A thought then occurred to Henry, and he cursed himself for not mentioning it sooner. Releasing his grip from Jack's, he started to say "One more thing, Jack. I have a message from someone you know."

"And who would that be?" Jack asked, curious.

"Armando Salazar," Henry said flatly, his mind going back to Salazar's horrifying image beading down upon him.

Jack walked back a couple of steps from the bars of his cell. Surely this had to be a mistake. He remembers what happened at the Devil's Triangle. What he did to him.

"S-Salazar?" Jack stuttered, his voice quivering, "He's dead. Very, very dead. That was a long time ago. His ship went down-"

"Inside the Devil's Triangle?" Henry finished for him, gulping knowing he would now have to recount what had happened, "I was stationed aboard the _Monarch._ We followed a pirate ship into the Triangle, and Salazar and his crew came upon us and slaughtered everyone. I was the only survivor."

Jack backed up more, his breath picking up very fast.

"No, no that's not possible," Jack said, "I saw the fire. The _Silent Mary_ went down and the crew with it. Salazar's dead."

"Whatever was inside the Triangle, it cursed him and his crew," Henry explained, "They're ghosts that can't be killed. They're... broken. Their bodies were ashen and disfigured, their ship the same."

Jack couldn't believe this. He knew Salazar was dead. But now not only had he returned, but he was unable to be killed? If he was dangerous back when he was alive, Jack didn't want to imagine what he was capable of now that he was undead.

"Assuming you aren't making any of this up, which I hope you are," Jack began, walking up to the bars again, "What did the Spaniard say?"

"He told me to tell you that death would come straight for you," Henry said, fear in his voice, "He's trapped in the Triangle, but... the way he spoke about you, it's almost as if he _knew_ he would be freed soon. I don't know how, but he said that you were the key to his escape."

Jack froze. He remembered when he had given up his compass earlier that day. The shaking that had engulfed the entire island, when the needle began spinning in circles. He had no explanation for how that happened. Had that freed Salazar?

"I believe the Trident may be the only thing capable of stopping Salazar," Henry added, "He craves vengeance, and I don't think he'll stop until you and every other pirate in the sea are dead."

"Well, I suppose now we have double the reason to find the Trident, don't we?" Jack inserted.

"We do," Henry said, "So you'll help me?"

Jack was about to respond, but the sound of metal creaking filled the dungeon hallway, and a voice called out saying "Your pants are done bein' scrubbed, pirate!"

"Oh no," Jack said, "Henry, you've got to go. But before you do, I have a plan."

Henry leaned in, listening quickly to what Jack had to say. When Jack had finished, Henry nodded that he understood what he needed to do, picking up his fallen hat, and then Jack said "The answer is yes, mate. You get me and the girl out of here, and we'll find the Trident together, savvy?"

Jack smirked, and Henry did the same. Afterward, Henry took off as quickly as possible to avoid being caught by the guards.

* * *

Carina woke inside her cell the next morning. She groaned from having slept on nothing but a pile of straw the night before. As she sat up, she took in her surroundings, seeing that she was indeed confined within a prison cell.

"Oh no," she said aloud, hoping that all of this was just some bad dream that would go away when she woke up. But it didn't. This nightmare of hers was real.

Quickly, she checked to see if she still had her pouch underneath her dress, and fortunately enough for her the guards hadn't taken the diary, the ruby, or the chronometer watch. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her items were still there, but it wouldn't do her much good if she was locked in a cell. She ran a hand over her forehead and through her hair, only to realize that the pin holding her hair together in the back was missing. Carina started to search the floor for it, but she found nothing. But it mattered little; it was only a pin, and too small to try to pick the lock with. Still, it made for less distractions when working.

She stood up, looking around the tiny cell she was confined in. This was not good at all. She didn't have time for prison. Carina was so close to finding the Trident that she couldn't afford to lose another minute.

"Father, if you can hear me, help me," she said aloud to herself. Carina didn't believe in the supernatural, but if there was a time that somehow he or her mother could listen to their daughter's plea for help from beyond the grave, now was the time.

"Good morning, witch," Carina heard a voice say from the far end of the hallway left of her, "You have a due appointment with the gallows today!"

" _What!?_ " Carina asked, shocked and appalled, "Aren't I supposed to get a fair trial _before_ my sentence is ruled?"

"That was already decided this morning, witch," the voice said again, and from the corner emerged Captain Scarfield, escorted by two armed soldiers.

"A trial that I was not present for? You're suspending my right to habeas corpus!" Carina shouted at the officer, who opened the door to her cell with his keys.

"No such right applies to witches," Scarfield stated, his voice firm and uncaring. His men pointed their rifles at her as to prevent her from trying to escape.

"For the final time, I am _not_ a witch!" Carina bellowed, "How can you people be so stupid as to not see it?"

"You mistake your place," Scarfield said, "The British Empire will not be made to look like fools in front of the rest of the world if we don't properly deal with insubordination."

Carina scoffed, saying "You stupid, arrogant, self-righteous prick!"

Scarfield lost his temper, and he backhanded Carina across her face. He tried to justify himself by saying "You best watch what you say, girl. You haven't got many words left."

Carina, feeling the sting of Scarfield's hand, said nothing more. His two underlings then seized her arms and began to escort her down the hallway. She was scared now, more than she had been in her entire life. She wasn't ready to die yet.

* * *

Jack, now wearing his full attire minus his weapons belt, was being dragged through the dark hallways of the dungeon by two soldiers. He knew full well that he was to be executed this very day, but if things went according to plan, that wouldn't be the case. Jack considered himself lucky that Henry arrived when he did, because he had just about resigned himself to be hung. Now, things were different. Maybe this was a sign that his luck was finally changing for the better. But that gleaming, optimistic feeling of hope was fleeting given what he might be up against. Armando Salazar, _El Matador del Mar,_ was quite possibly back from the dead, and he would stop at nothing to kill Jack if he was. The thought of him sent a shiver running down his spine, and Jack hoped, if he survived what was to come next, that finding the Trident would be enough to stop Salazar. He had forgotten about the Trident completely until the night before, never doubting its existence but doubting if he truly wanted to search for it again.

As the guards dragged him along, Jack heard singing from down the corridor. It was coming from one of the cells, and it was a singing voice that Jack recognized almost immediately.

_"Oh dirty Maggie Mae they have taken her away, and she never walk down Lime Street any more-"_

"Hold on a moment, wait, wait, stop!" Jack abruptly said to the guards dragging him, and without hesitation they came to a halt. Jack looked into the cell where he heard the singing coming from, and he saw an older pirate dressed in attire not unlike his own sitting at a small table. He looked to be playing poker with two other guards, and he was continuing to sing.

"Uncle Jack!" Jack Sparrow said with enthusiasm at seeing his uncle. The older pirate turned around in his chair, and his face broke into a wide grin as he saw his nephew.

"Jacky-Boy!" Jack Teague called out in good spirits. He turned to the two men he was playing cards with and said "Excuse me for a moment, gents."

Teague got up out of his seat and made his way over to the bars of the cell, and he said to the younger Sparrow "You look great! How's it going?"

"Can't complain, really," Jack deadpanned despite the guards taking him to be executed, "You?"

"I'm fine. I won't be in here for long. I'm only in here because I may have had one too many drinks and burned down a bar," Teague said, "When they brought me here, they actually thought that I was dead, and I was a look-alike poser of myself!"

"Really? Now that's just ridiculous," Jack remarked, "How's Dad?"

"Oh, he's fine," Teague said, "He needed some time after your Uncle Ronnie passed, but he's good."

"That's good to hear," Jack responded, and then Teague motioned for him to lean in and said, "Hey, Jacky, just so you know, the oceans have turned to blood. The guards here informed me that countless ships across the Caribbean have been sunk by something really dangerous."

Jack froze. This couldn't be Salazar's doing, could it?

"Best to stay on dry land where it's safe," Teague advised, but Jack, observing his current surroundings, said "I'm about to be _executed_ on dry land."

"Fair point," Teague acknowledged, "Hey, did I ever tell you the one about the skeleton?"

Jack let out a small sigh, "Yes you have, many times-"

Teague interrupted, saying "Skeleton goes into a bar, orders a beer and a mop."

From down the corridor, a very wheezy laugh from another prisoner could be heard laughing at the joke. Jack shook his head, deadpanning "Funny as ever."

He looked to his uncle, and then Jack said "Good to see you, Uncle Jack."

"You too, Jacky," Teague smiled, and the guards began to drag Jack away from the cell.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Teague called out, "If the lobsters decide to disembowel you, ask for Victor! He's got the softest hands!"

"Thank you!" Jack called out, reaching the end of the hallway.

"Mention my name and they won't cut your feet off!" Teague added, and then Jack was gone.

* * *

A large crowd had gathered in the center of St. Martin. It was around ten in the morning, and executions were about to begin very soon. There were numerous setups for the various ways that the British would be killing people, and it was almost a terrifying sight to see the sheer number of people that were actually anticipating the deaths of others.

A carriage stopped right on the outskirts of the town's central plaza, and a Redcoat opened up the backdoor of the carriage to reveal Carina sitting by herself with her wrists in chains.

"Oi, witch! Time for a short drop and a sudden stop!" the soldier catcalled, but Carina ignored him. Two other Redcoats entered the carriage and escorted her out, taking her through a gap between the crowds as she marched towards the execution platform. Carina looked around her to see that everyone's eyes were upon her, booing her and shouting obscenities as she paced along. She ignored their shouts and insults, but she wasn't any less terrified that she was going to be executed in a few short moments. Worse still, these people were calling upon her to die like she was a plague to society or something. Carina was an academic, and she was being treated no better than a common criminal. And that's how she was going to be remembered.

As she got to the platform, Scarfield was there waiting for her along with the hangman.

"Hello again, witch," Scarfield said with an evil grin, "I'm afraid this is the last time we shall speak. Enjoy the gallows."

"Go to hell," Carina said to him, spitting at his feet. Unlike before, Scarfield did not react, but simply walked off the platform to join the other officers in the crowd. Carina swallowed, her anxiety rising and her pulse pounding as she looked onto the massive crowd that had gathered to watch her die.

"Just relax," she said quietly to herself, closing her eyes, "Just relax. You are Carina Smyth, you are an astronomer. If you are to die, you are to do it with dignity."

As she said this, Carina felt the hangman put the noose around her neck and tightened it.

On the other side of the plaza, another carriage stopped, and the guards opened it to escort Jack, his wrists cuffed behind his back, to his own death. A guard came up to him and said "Well, well, if it isn't the famous Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"Thank you! Somebody remembers!" Jack said, forcing a smile.

"It seems we have a celebrity pirate here, gentlemen," the guard remarked, "So, pirate, how would you like to die? Hanging? Firing squad? Or a new invention - the guillotine?"

"The guillotine?" Jack inquired, curious as to what it was, "Sounds French."

"It is, as a matter of fact," the guard replied, "The French left a plethora of them behind when we cleared them off this island."

"Well, then I'll take that then," Jack replied smugly, "I love the French. Hey, did you know they invented mayonnaise? I mean, how bad could it be, eh?"

Jack looked over to his right, and saw what the guillotine looked like. It was a large wooden frame with an angled blade inside it, and the soldiers manning it were testing it out. The blade dropped down from a rope and made a distinctive cutting noise.

"Oh. That bad," Jack said, his skin turning pale, "I've changed me mind."

But the guards were now pushing him towards the guillotine, undeterred by Jack's persistent begging not to. He started to ramble nervously, saying "Hey! Here's an idea! Why don't we have a regular, good ol' fashioned stoning, eh? It's biblical, and it gets the crowd involved! I don't know about you but I'd kill to be stoned right now."

They had escorted Jack up to the guillotine's platform, and they removed his hat before laying him forward on the guillotine and locking his head in the circle around his neck. Looking down, Jack saw that there was a basket beneath him, and there were two decapitated heads lying in there, with flies on them and one of the heads looking right at him.

Jack's eyes widened in fear, and then he said to the guards, "I'm not one to complain normally, but this basket is full of... heads."

The guards began to walk away from the platform, and they passed Jack's hat off to the executioner who walked onto the platform. The executioner then put Jack's hat back on his head once he was properly in place, and as he started to walk behind him, Jack began to shout "I would like to speak to Victor in disembowelment! I would like to speak to Victor in-" He gave up, "Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, _bugger!"_

Back over on the hanging platform, Carina looked out into the crowd again, knowing her end would be coming shortly. If she was going to die, she would at least attempt to make a point and save what honor she had.

"The final words of Carina Sm-" she began, but her own voice was drowned out by the rowdiness of the crowd before her. Her temper quickly flared up at the people cutting off her last words, and quickly but firmly she shouted at the top of her lungs "QUIET! I'M TALKING HERE!"

The crowd instantly hushed without a whisper, and Jack looked up to see her with a noose around her neck. Carina, content with their silence, cleared her throat and resumed her statement.

"Ahem," she began, "I would like to say a few words before I am executed. Good sirs and madams, I regret to disappoint you with the truth, but I am _not_ a witch. I am an academic looking to further her understanding of the world as we know it. That being said, I forgive your common dim-wittedness and feeble brains for not being able to comprehend." The crowd gave an audible gasp, but that did not stop Carina, "In short, all of you have the mind of a goat, and I don't expect my words to hold much sway over you lot, because I know you wouldn't believe the truth even if I told it to you, which I have. Repeatedly. So you can go about living your dull lives as simpletons while I die here for trying to better myse-"

"Ahem!" Jack cleared his throat, and both Carina and the crowd's attention were directed at the pirate, "Pardon me for interrupting, but is it not common practice for those about to be executed to be, I don't know... _worried_ or something or rather?"

"I- I believe I was making a point just now," Carina stated, perplexed at Jack's interruption, the crowd's attention going back to her, "If you could just be patient for a moment."

Carina was about to resume her statement, but Jack interrupted again, shouting over "No! My _head_ is about to be lobbed off, hence the urgency!"

"And _my_ neck is about to be broken!" Carina shouted back, and the crowd continued to look back and forth between the two.

"Did you know that, on occasion, your neck doesn't actually break?" Jack began, "It just... hurts."

"What?" Carina asked in the rhetorical sense, cursing herself because that gave Jack a reason to continue speaking.

"I've seen it happen before," Jack explained, "Men would be hanging for hours in pain before they died, if they died at all."

_"May. I. finish?"_ Carina said through gritted teeth, to which Jack responded, "What makes your statement so urgent compared to mine?"

"Well, for one thing, you're a pirate and I'm an astronomer. I think my last words matter more than that of some hapless drunk," she stated bluntly.

"Hey, watch what you say about me, lass!" Jack shouted back, "You're lucky! Wish I was hung!"

Carina rolled her eyes, saying "Kill the filthy pirate. I'll wait." At least she would be granted the satisfaction of seeing that obnoxious fool dead.

"The witch first!" Jack shouted, annoyed at the girl insulting him.

"Enough!" the magistrate of St. Martin shouted from the crowd, "Kill them both!"

The crowd erupted in a cheer, and the executioners were about to pull the levers that were going to end Jack and Carina's lives. Suddenly, a voice called out from above them, and everyone directed their attention towards the sky.

"Woah!" Henry shouted, descending from a line of rope from the bell tower of the nearby church and swinging towards the plaza. He had acquired a new set of clothing, and he was wearing Jack's weapons belt containing his sword and pistols. He dropped from the rope onto one of the soldiers in the crowd, tackling him to the ground, and proceeded to punch another while kicking back yet another. But it was a futile effort, for the guards swarmed around Henry and grabbed his arms.

"Did you really think that you could defeat us, boy?" Scarfield mocked, but Henry, panting for breath, said "No sir, I'm just a diversion."

Before Scarfield could process what Henry had said, Henry shouted "FIRE!"

The crowd began to scream in fear, and they moved away to reveal Gibbs and the rest of Jack's crew standing there armed to the teeth. They removed a tarp off of a small object, revealing it to be a small cannon that they had snuck in.

"FIRE!" Gibbs ordered, and Pintel lit the fuse of the cannon and a six-pound ball shot out from the barrel, striking the guillotine platform's base and causing it to become unstable. Afterward, the crew began to open fire on the Redcoats present with their pistols, taking down a great number with a single volley.

"Oh my God!" Carina said, her ears ringing from the gunfire and wondering just how absurd this could get.

Jack began to laugh seeing his crew again. Quickly, he fiddled his fingers around until he had a solid grip on the hairpin that Henry had given him. He didn't say where he had gotten it from, but it didn't matter. Using the battle as a distraction, he stuck it in the cuffs keeping his hands bound behind his back, and played around with it until he heard a clicking noise and the chains fell off his wrists. Now he just had to get out of this contraption.

Henry had broken free from the two guards restraining him, and punched one of them in the face. The other tried shooting at him at point-blank range, but Henry grabbed the barrel and directed it away from him, the shot going past his head. He snatched the musket from the soldier's grasp, and hit him square in the nose with the weapon's butt. He then used it as a melee weapon to block incoming attacks from more British swords and guns.

"Reload!" Gibbs ordered the crew, and using the crowd scurrying as cover, Marty loaded in another cannonball while Pintel rammed it into place, while Ragetti and Cotton were reloading their firearms. When they had finished, Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, and Ragetti rushed forward with their swords raised and their pistols at the ready, while Pintel stayed behind with the igniter.

Jack was attempting to pry himself loose from the guillotine's confines, but as the platform was becoming more unstable, the angular blade at the top began to drop downward. Acting quickly, Pintel fired off another cannon shot, breaking away the foundation of the guillotine and liberating Jack from it's confines. Jack fell face-first onto the ground, and next to him the blade that would have cut through his neck instead landed in the dirt beside him.

"That was lucky," Jack remarked, looking at the blade next to him. Pintel then ran away from the cannon to join the rest of the crew in the fight against the British.

The crowd had practically vanished, leaving only the pirates and the British remaining as they fought tooth and nail against each other. But the pirates were prevailing over the might of the Royal Army, their cutlasses swift and their shots accurate, and they were making substantial headway.

"JACK!" Henry called over, and Jack, getting up off the ground, saw the young Turner brandishing both his sword and one of his pistols. Quickly, Henry threw both weapons over to Jack who caught them at the perfect moment, for two Redcoats were about to swarm him but he used the sword to cut the one down and used his pistol to shoot down the other.

"Thanks, mate!" Jack said, holstering his empty pistol. He then extended his hand out, and Henry tossed over his other pistol. Jack grabbed it, and he resumed fighting the Redcoats with his sword, cutting through any man that opposed him. His skill with a sword had improved considerably over the years, but he was inclined to use it less because he noticed that as time went on he got exhausted quicker when swordfighting. Guns were faster, but they only had one shot.

Jack saw a Redcoat that was attempting to stab Gibbs from behind with his bayonet. Acting quickly, Jack fired his pistol and struck the soldier in the head. Gibbs turned around and faced his Captain during all the fighting.

"Thanks for that!" Gibbs said.

Jack, instead of replying that Gibbs was welcome, said "Knew you'd come crawling back, traitor!"

Gibbs looked at him in confusion, before warding off another Redcoat's attack. After doing so, he said "I'll admit that it wasn't the right thing to do, but a little gratitude would be appreciated!"

Jack and Gibbs continued to fight off the Redcoats. While doing so, Gibbs said "Besides, we'd heard that half of Barbossa's fleet had been sunk, so we decided it was best we abandon that venture!"

Jack slightly panicked for a moment. Again he was being told that ships were being sunk all around. He feared that Salazar really had been freed from the Triangle.

Rather than deliberating the matter, Jack asked "How did the lad convince you to save my skin?"

"He offered us ten pieces of silver a person," Gibbs said, "You know, the kid looks awfully familiar! Where'd you find him?"

"His name's Henry Turner," Jack called out, "Will and Elizabeth's son!"

Gibbs looked at Jack for a moment, saying nothing. Jack then said "Fight now, contemplate later!"

Gibbs did as told and he and Jack resumed fighting with the rest of the crew.

Carina watched the whole battle unfold in front of her while the noose was still tied around her neck. It seemed as if the pirates were winning, but she didn't trust them anymore than the British. Scarfield, observing the situation and realizing that persisting further would result in death, retreated to the hanging platform where Carina was. Looking over at him, she saw that he had his grip on the lever to drop the panel out from under her, and she began to panic.

"Goodbye, witch," Scarfield said, pulling the lever and Carina fell.

Carina closed her eyes, preparing for the end.

"Gotcha!" Henry's voice said, and Carina opened her eyes to see that Henry had caught her at the last second before the rope had snapped her neck, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking!" Carina deadpanned, trying to stay as still as possible so that Henry wouldn't collapse trying to hold her up.

"We're still allies, correct?" Henry asked.

"Considering where your left hand is, I'd say we're _more_ than that!" Carina shouted.

"Well, well," Scarfield's voice said with his devilish grin, and both Henry and Carina turned to see him brandishing his pistol at them, "Isn't this quite the predicament. If I shoot you, boy, the witch hangs. Two birds with one stone."

Henry and Carina braced themselves for Scarfield's shot to come, but it never came. Jack had gotten behind him and whacked him in the skull with the butt of his pistol. The officer then fell to the ground unconscious. Jack then holstered his pistol, and behind him the crew stood victorious over the British.

"Gentlemen," Jack addressed his crew, "these two are going to lead us to a prize far more substantial than ten pieces of silver. We will be sailing for the Trident of Poseidon!"

Jack's crew then gasped and then chattered amongst themselves. Jack himself then walked forward and picked up Scarfield's pistol off the ground, aiming it above Carina directly at the rope tied around her neck. Firing the weapon, the bullet broke the rope's bond, and Carina fell on top of Henry in a very awkward position. They both looked at each other with embarrassment.

"I don't care what you two like to do in your personal time," Jack remarked, noting how they looked at this particular moment, "but time is of the essence here. Chop, chop!"

Jack dropped Scarfield's pistol on the ground, and then Henry and Carina both got up off the ground.

"Now, if you'd be so kind as to follow me to my ship, we'll be on our way," Jack said, strutting away.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Carina retorted while Henry broke away the chains on her wrists, "There is no way in _hell_ that I am getting on the same ship as you."

"You need to learn to watch your language, love," Jack responded with a smirk, "Time to partake in the pirate's life."

Jack began to strut away followed closely by his crew, and Henry joined after them. Carina hesitated for a moment, unwilling to put up with Jack Sparrow let alone trust him, but she realized that he was her best shot at finding the Trident in time before the path was lost.

Sighing, Carina reluctantly began to follow the group of pirates. She just hoped that this venture would be successful. She bet her father didn't have to put up with this nonsense.


	9. Farewell & Adieu

The crew had made it back over to the dockyard, cautiously observing their surroundings in fear that more Redcoats may have followed them. Fortunately, none had, and they started to head over towards the _Dying Gull_ over at the far end of the yard. When they had reached the battered, old schooner, Jack gestured for his crew to come to a halt as he turned around to face Gibbs.

"Before I forget, did you happen to stock up on rum beforehand?" Jack asked of his first mate, to which Gibbs replied, "Aye sir, we have enough barrels to last us some weeks."

"We spent what gold was left from the vault on it, by the way," Pintel inserted.

"Excellent," Jack replied with a smile, seemingly content with Gibbs' thinking ahead. He then looked over to Henry and Carina, and then said, "Fair warning to you both, if you touch my rum without my permission, you walk the plank."

"Very well," Henry obediently replied, wanting to maintain a good standing with Jack, but Carina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, saying "Makes no difference to me. I don't want your rum anyway."

Henry faced away from Carina as he bit his lip out of habit. He didn't want whatever was on her mind to cause conflict between her and Jack.

"Ah, but you _will,_ lass," Jack said, pointing his finger upward for emphasis, "When sailing on the high seas, water spoils rather quickly. Rum lasts longer, so you'll have no choice but to drink it, savvy?"

"No, I don't _savvy,_ " Carina retorted, a hint of mockery in her voice as she repeated his catchphrase, "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" Henry let out a small, unnoticeable chuckle at their sparring.

"Well, for one, I'm captain of this ship," Jack said, gesturing over to the _Gull._

" _This_ is your ship?" Carina replied with sarcasm, observing the _Gull's_ fractured state, "I should've figured as much."

"Not to interrupt a, _ahem_ , conversation of such import, but I think it's best we depart before we're discovered," Gibbs spoke into Jack's ear.

"Right," Jack replied, recognizing they were pressed for time. Carina sighed, not having any desire to continue her argument with the pirate.

"Alright, any more questions? Things we're forgetting? No? Alright? All aboard then," Jack ordered, and Henry, Carina, and the crew walked on the planks linking the ship to the docks. Once they were aboard, the crew made their way to their stations, and Jack and Gibbs made their way over to the helm.

"Can I have a private word with you, Henry?" Carina asked, and Henry nodded as they both walked over towards the bow of the ship. Once they had made it, Henry asked her, "What's on your mind?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Carina inquired.

"You said you needed a ship," Henry answered plainly, to which Carina responded, "No, no, I mean... sailing with pirates. Doesn't that concern you?"

"Not really, no," Henry replied, "My parents were, and they knew Jack back in the day."

"Well, I don't trust Jack," Carina stated.

"I trust him," Henry answered her.

"The fact that you trust him makes me trust you even less," Carina almost laughed. This whole thing seemed ludicrous in her eyes.

"Come on, he's not a bad person," Henry defended, "He's just a little... uh..."

"Drunk?" Carina inserted.

"I was going to say 'eccentric,'" Henry finished, "Besides, he did save your life."

"And I was almost hung because of it," Carina replied bluntly.

"And then he helped me to save your life after that," Henry added. Carina sighed, tired of this back-and-forth between the two of them, and gave up.

"All hands! Prepare to drown!" Gibbs shouted from the helm.

"Cut the rope!" Jack ordered, and Marty and Cotton cut two ropes with their swords that released the _Gull_ from the wooden pegs it was being held upon. It then slid into the water with a very audible splash, and the crew noted that the ship had not sunk.

"Here we go," Henry commented to Carina.

"She floats!" Marty shouted, and the crew gave a cheer. Jack began to chuckle as he grabbed the wheel and began to sail away from St. Martin.

"Let's go get that horizon," Jack said to himself, seeing the sun in front of him. At long last, he was back on the open ocean in command of a ship, and the quest for Poseidon's Trident could begin. Maybe his luck was finally changing after all. He just hoped it would be enough to stop Salazar if he truly had broken free.

But at the thought of the Trident, Jack's grip on the wheel tightened. The thought of finally finding it made him feel slightly uneasy, and he didn't know if it was a good or bad feeling. His mind then went to Salazar, and Jack closed his eyes tight in an attempt to get him out of his head for the moment.

Jack never really liked thinking about the past. He was many things, but nostalgic was not one of them. There was simply too much he couldn't bear to think about. He didn't want to feel that pain again.

" _Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies..."_ Jack began to sing in a low voice, " _Farewell and adieu you ladies of Spain..."_

The crew picked up on Jack's singing, and continued along with him.

" _For we've received orders for to sail back to England..."_

Henry and Carina looked ahead to the vast sea in front of them. They were finally going to find the Trident of Poseidon. It was if their entire lives had been building up to this, and they could finally get to do right by their fathers.

_"And we may never see you fair ladies again."_

* * *

The _Queen Anne's Revenge_ sat in the middle of the ocean, it's blood-red sails blowing in the wind as the ship was anchored in place. Barbossa had on his uniform from the time he was a privateer in the Royal Navy, and his crew were dressed in the clothes of British sailors. It mattered little for they were still pirates, but Barbossa felt it best to present himself and his crew as respectable as possible for when Salazar finally came.

"Ship dead ahead!" one of the men called out from the bow. Barbossa took out a collapsible telescope from his coat pocket and looked ahead, seeing the decrepit, battered image of the _Silent Mary_ not far away. Its breached hull glided across the sea with ease, and its fallen mast dragged across the water as it moved. A flock of undead seagulls circled around the _Mary,_ squawking as they did so.

Barbossa collapsed his telescope and put it back in his coat, and he breathed deeply, knowing he would have to play his cards just right if he were to make it out of this one. It wasn't like with Jones where he was open to bargaining; Salazar was ruthless and never offered mercy to any pirate he came across except one per ship. And now he wasn't bound by the laws of the Spanish Crown, but running free like a mad dog.

Barbossa's grip on his blunderbuss-cane tightened, and he heard Mullroy speak up from beside him, saying "Sir, we would never question your reason as, uh, Captain, but uh..."

"But," Murtogg interrupted, "is there a reason, _ahem,_ as Captain that you've chosen to sail in this unreasonable direction?"

Barbossa opened his mouth and ordered "Tell the men to be prepared to be boarded, to stand their ground, and show no fear!"

He then limped his way over to the bow of the ship as the men began to draw their cutlasses and firearms. When he made it to the bow, Barbossa saw that the _Mary_ was coming in dangerously close.

" _Capitan,"_ Lesaro called over to Salazar, his hands at the wheel, "A ship sails towards us! Looks to be a British frigate!"

Salazar made his way over to the helm and said, "No, no, _Teniente._ Pirates."

He held out his sword and scabbard to Lesaro, and Lesaro took them without question. Salazar then took the wheel from him, and a smile formed upon his face at his next victims.

The front of the _Mary_ lifted, showing to the crew of the _Revenge_ the exposed ribs of the ship. The ribs then opened up like a set of jagged teeth, prepared to clamp down upon the pirate vessel in front of them. Some of the pirates took some steps backwards in fear. The men below decks prepared the bow cannonades in case they needed to use the Greek Fire.

Acting quickly, Barbossa unsheathed the Sword of Triton from his scabbard, and pointed it in the direction of the _Mary,_ which then froze in place before it could claim the _Revenge_.

Feeling the sudden motion of the _Mary_ stopping in place, Salazar was confused.

" _Que?"_ Salazar asked aloud. Who was able to stop him like this?

"Captain Armando Salazar!" Barbossa called up from the deck of the _Revenge, "_ I hear you be lookin' for Jack Sparrow!"

Salazar let his grip go of the wheel. Had the pirate spoken right? He knew about where to find Sparrow?

"Men!" Salazar barked, taking his sword and scabbard from Lezaro, "Prepare to board!"

The ghosts jumped off of the raised bow of the _Mary_ onto the deck of the _Revenge._ The Spanish held their ghastly swords and muskets up to the pirates, keeping them in place. Mullroy was pinned against one of the masts by a ghost that had little more than a hand and a hat left of him, and Murtogg waved his hand through where his torso should've been. One pirate panicked and fired his pistol at a ghost, the bullet right through him and striking one of his own crewmates instead.

"Hold point, and await orders!" Lesaro told his men, and they continued to hold the pirates at their mercy.

Barbossa's gaze remained on the front of the _Mary_ when suddenly he heard a thudding sound from behind him. He didn't look immediately, trying to keep his calm before he spoke, and he heard the faint wheezing of Salazar as he used his rapier to walk closer to him.

Slowly turning, Barbossa faced Salazar and gazed upon his deathly appearance, with the left side of his head all but gone and his hair flowing like it were in water. Barbossa gulped, slowly sheathing his sword, and Salazar began to study him very curiously, almost as if he had seen something.

"M-my name is Captain Bar-"

"I know who you are, Hector Barbossa," Salazar interrupted, and Barbossa froze.

"You know my name?" Barbossa inquired, wondering how the ghost knew who he was.

"Those clothes do not fool me. I remember you," Salazar began, "Thirty years ago, you were first mate aboard the _Black Pearl,_ back when it was captained by Sparrow."

"That doesn't explain to me how you know my name," Barbossa stated.

"When my crew and I were murdered by you pirate _bastardos,_ the Devil's Triangle cursed us. But it did more than leave us in pain and suffering. It gave us knowledge of things that are, were, and will be. It's not much knowledge, it was like looking through a keyhole, but it was enough to fuel our desire for revenge," Salazar stated.

"What is it that you know?" Barbossa asked.

"I know the names of every single pirate aboard the _Pearl_ the day we died," Salazar began, "Over the years, many names have been lost to us, and the reason being is that they've died. Only five names remain."

Salazar began to encircle Barbossa, walking around him slowly as he spoke.

"Barbossa..." Salazar began, "Pintel... Ragetti... Turner... _Sparrow."_

He nearly shouted the last name into Barbossa's ear, venom in his voice as the pirate flinched at his words.

"That monster..." Salazar remarked, "We've spent decades in agony because of him."

"And now I stand before you with cordial intent so that you may have your revenge," Barbossa replied coolly, but Salazar, standing in front of him, merely chuckled.

"'Cordial intent,'" Salazar repeated, amused by Barbossa's wording, and then he turned his head to face his crew and said "Do you hear that, men? This pirate wishes to be cordial with us!"

The crew of the _Mary_ laughed loud at their Captain's comment.

"So let me show you what my cordiality is, _hombre,"_ Salazar began, "Every time I tap my sword, one of your men will die, so I suggest you speak quickly."

Salazar then tapped his sword against the deck, and one of his men gutted one of Barbossa's.

"You might want to go a bit faster, _Capitan,"_ Salazar spoke, and he tapped his sword twice in quick succession. The pirate that had accidentally shot one of his crewmates was stabbed, as was another pirate close to him.

"Where's Jack Sparrow!?" Salazar demanded, whereupon Barbossa quickly replied "Jack be sailin' for the Trident of Poseidon."

Salazar chuckled, "That old sailor's tale? Don't think of me as a fool now, _Capitan."_

"Would you doubt the existence of the supernatural given what the Triangle did to you?" Barbossa asked, "He be sailing for the Trident as we speak, and should he succeed he could destroy you."

"It does not matter!" Salazar shouted, "He will die, as will you!"

Salazar pointed his rapier at Barbossa, and Barbossa quickly spoke "I be the only one that can lead you to him!"

Salazar paused for a moment, and then asked "And how do you propose to find him?"

"With this," Barbossa speaks, holding up Jack's compass. Salazar snatched the compass from Barbossa's grip, and then he opened it up. As he did, he saw the needle spin around in rapid circles, and Salazar was confused.

"The compass points to whatever the holder wants most, but it appears to not work on the dead," Barbossa inserted. Salazar then gave the compass back to Barbossa, and the needle pointed straight off the port side of the _Revenge._

"What is it that you want most, Barbossa?" Salazar inquired.

"I want to live, and I will do whatever it takes to survive," Barbossa answered.

Salazar's gaze narrowed at Barbossa.

"I declare that you shall have Sparrow's life by sunrise three days hence, or you can take my own and my crew's then," Barbossa said, "Do we have an accord?"

Salazar considered his offer for a moment, and then he leaned in closer, saying "Take me to him, and you will live to tell the tale."

"You have my word," Barbossa replied, "I thank ye, on behalf of me crew."

Salazar looked away, and then without warning tapped his sword five times consecutively. Five more of Barbossa's men were killed instantly.

"Then you can take what's left of them and come aboard, _Capitan,"_ Salazar said, "Gather what you need and we'll depart. Oh, and by the way, have you and your crew change your clothes before you come aboard so that my men can see you for the pirates you are."

"Very well," Barbossa complied, and he began to limp his way over off the bow. Before he left, he heard Salazar speak, "I'm curious, _Capitan_ Barbossa. You were Sparrow's first mate. Why not let him find the Trident so he can kill me? Why would you sacrifice the life of your former _Capitan?"_

Barbossa turned to face him, and he pulled his coat and shirt back to show the scars over his heart.

"You weren't the only one that was killed by Jack Sparrow," Barbossa replied, "You weren't the only one who was ever cursed either. I suppose it's only fair that I help you take your revenge, even if I never realized it for myself."

"Interesting," Salazar commented, "Very interesting. Now, _vamos."_

Barbossa walked over towards the helm while the rest of the crew was changing their clothes. He talked to Scrum who was at the wheel and said in a very low voice, "Scrum, you'll be the Captain of the _Revenge._ I want you to take half the crew and follow the _Mary_ from a safe distance. I'll let you know when I need ya."

"Will do, sir," Scrum replied, "Thank you for this honor."

Barbossa nodded, and then he went back to his cabin, and changed back into his traditional pirate attire. Afterwards, he and half of his crew, including Murtogg and Mullroy, departed from the _Revenge_ and got onto the deck of the _Mary._ Barbossa was then escorted to the helm, and he began to sail the ghostly ship towards wherever Jack Sparrow was.

Barbossa hoped he was doing the right thing.


	10. A Touch of Destiny

It had been a few hours or so since the crew departed from the port at St. Martin, and the _Dying Gull_ was far away out at sea. Mid-afternoon was upon them, and all was silent aboard the ship aside from the splash of the ocean water and the creakiness of the wooden beams.

Carina was still standing at the edge of the bow, perusing through Galileo's diary and looking for something as to what direction they should be heading in. She knows from the clue revealed the night before that the constellation would not make itself known until it became darker, but she wanted to see if there was a way in expediting their expedition. But, as she turned through the pages, all she found were more of Galileo's notes regarding the position of stars in the general sense. While enlightening, it was not what was needed to find the Trident.

The smell of foul breath overcame her senses, and Carina felt small gusts of air on her neck. Closing the diary, she looked over her shoulder to see Ragetti was standing way too close to her for comfort.

"You smell nice, miss," Ragetti said in an innocent voice, but Carina shot him a look of disgust, saying "That makes one of us."

"Hey, that wasn't very respectful," Ragetti complained, to which Carina replied "Neither is breathing down my neck."

"Oi!" the voice of Pintel called over, and both Ragetti and Carina turned to see the belligerent homunculus walking towards them, "We talked about this, mate! That's _not_ how you approach a lady!"

"She just smelled nice," Ragetti defended, and Carina rolled her eyes.

"No, no, you have to approach a woman with more courtesy," Pintel explained to his friend, "Like so-"

Before Pintel could demonstrate what "courtesy" was to Ragetti, Carina had walked away from the both of them, not wanting to be part of anymore of their shenanigans for the rest of the voyage.

"Smooth," Ragetti commented after he and Pintel both saw her leave, "Now I know not to say 'like so' the next time I approach someone."

Pintel grumbled, and then smacked Ragetti so hard on the back of his head that his glass eye fell out of the socket.

"Me eye!" Ragetti exclaimed, getting down onto the deck surface and trying to catch his eye as it rolled away.

Carina sighed, and made her way over to the starboard side where Henry was. As she approached, he looked over his shoulder and saw her coming, and then resumed looking out over the water. She then stood next to him, and the put the diary back in the pouch beneath her dress.

"Any luck in finding a route?" Henry asked.

"No, that won't present itself until tonight. It's not on any recorded charts," Carina replied.

"Very well," Henry said, "We wait till tonight, then."

"Yeah," Carina said, and then a moment or two of silence passed between them.

"Hey," Henry began, "if this all plays out according to plan, what are you going to do once you find the Trident?"

"I-" Carina started to say, but then she realized she had no idea what to do after, "I don't know. I hadn't really thought that far ahead. My plan was to find it because my father wasn't able to, but... I can't say I figured everything out exactly."

"There isn't part of you that wants the power of the sea?" Henry inserted, but Carina merely laughed, "You do know that I'm still not buying that story, right?"

"Well, why else would your father search for it? Why would Galileo leave behind such an elaborate map to it's location?" Henry said in an attempt to sway Carina to see things from his point of view.

"That part is just superstitious nonsense, like Excalibur or the Holy Grail. There's no basis in logic to support the existence of the supernatural," Carina explained to him, "I believe it's a historical relic that ought to be known to the world."

"Well, have it your way then," Henry said, turning around and leaning back against the ship's edge, "When we get to the Trident, you'll see I was right all along."

Carina scoffed and faced away from Henry, and then Henry said, "Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there. Like my own father. I've only seen him twice in my entire life because of his curse, but that doesn't mean he's not real."

Carina laid her arms across the edge of the ship, and then said "Cursed or not, at least you have a father. Mine's dead."

Another moment of silence occurred between the two, and it was interrupted by Henry stating, "It's curious, isn't it?"

"What is?" Carina inquired.

"That both of us have been searching for Poseidon's Trident our entire lives, both trying to do right by our fathers. Odd, huh?" Henry said, "Almost like it was destiny or something."

"Yeah, destiny," Carina repeated. She didn't know what else to say. Henry turned around again and leaned forward against the edge.

Back at the helm, Jack continued to sail out into the open ocean. He didn't have a heading and had absolutely no idea where he was going. How could he have been so careless with his compass? He just gave it up for a bottle of rum without a second thought, and he hated himself for doing it. That compass' value was immeasurable, moreso considering what he had given up to receive it in the first place.

But what's done is done. He had to make do with what he had for the time being.

Jack looked over to see Henry and Carina standing at the edge of the starboard side, and then thought that now was a good time to ask the girl about where they were going.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called out to his first mate, and Gibbs obediently rushed over, saying "Aye, Captain?"

"Take the wheel. I need to have a chat with our 'guests,'" Jack told him, and Gibbs took the wheel without hesitation. With his usual swagger, he sauntered over to where Henry and Carina were, and then addressed them both, saying "On a typical voyage, it is required that there be a destination to be reached, otherwise the entire purpose of said voyage is rendered moot. And to know a destination, one has to know the way to reach said destination, savvy?"

Carina and Henry both slowly turned as he said this, wondering why he was giving a vague explanation of what he wants instead of saying it outright, and maintained silence.

"In layman's terms, I need to know how to find the Trident if we're going to find the Trident," Jack stated, and then his attention focused directly on Carina.

"You. Girl," Jack said, pointing a finger at her, "Mr. Turner here says that you've found the way to the Trident. Is this true?"

"Yep," Carina replied, and Jack was annoyed at her not being forthcoming.

"... Are you going to _show_ me the way?" He asked, sounding somewhat irritated.

"Nope," Carina replied, and Jack became more annoyed.

"And why is that?" Jack inquired, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"Because I can't," Carina replied, but instead of becoming more annoyed, Jack laughed.

"I see what you're trying to do here, lass," Jack said, "You take me for a fool, don't you?"

"What in the world would give me that impression, Captain Sparrow?" Carina asked with heavy sarcasm.

"You think that I'm just some bumbling idiot that drinks excessively and doesn't know anything about anything because I'm a dirty, worthless pirate," Jack said, "but that's where you're wrong, girl. I know that the map that no man can read isn't an actual map. It's the heavens."

As Jack finished, he pointed up towards the sky. Carina just stood there dumbfounded, because she didn't expect him to know anything about the Trident other than being another prize to be seized. She realized then and there not to underestimate Jack Sparrow.

"However, what I _don't_ know is how to find the exact route as to our destination," Jack said, "If you'd be so kind as to share, then I will gladly sail this ship in a reasonable direction so that we may find the Trident, savvy?"

"It'll have to wait until tonight," Carina said, "The stars won't reveal themselves until then. Afterwards we can start making our way over."

"Very well, then," Jack said, and as he turned to walk away, he felt a sense of exhaustion overcome him. He didn't have any rum today, and it was only mid-afternoon. He shouldn't be feeling this tired at this time of day, but then again this had been happening more and more often. Jack knew he was getting old and things like this were expected, but he still wasn't comfortable with it.

"Mr. Gibbs! I will be retiring to my cabin for a spell. Wake me up at nightfall," Jack informed Gibbs, and before he could hear him respond, he went through the cabin doors and closed them behind him. Letting out a heavy sigh, he removed his overcoat and sat it down on one of the chairs, removed his weapons belt and hat and placed it on his desk, and grabbed a bottle of rum sitting on a nearby shelf. He took a hefty swig from the bottle, feeling the burn of the alcohol against his throat, and gave off a sigh of relief. He rubbed his temples with his free hand, and then he took another swig. Afterwards, he set the bottle down on the table, and then looked over to the shelf sitting opposite of his bed where he had his collection of ships in bottles.

"Oh yeah," Jack muttered to no one in particular. Gibbs had gotten these ships from Blackbeard's cabin years back, fully functional ships that had been shrunk down with black magic to miniature size. Not only that, but the surviving crewmembers of each ship had been shrunk along with them, and were somehow still alive after all this time. Until Jack could figure out a way to liberate them, he made sure they were all fed and watered properly.

Jack picked up a slice of bread from his desk, and tore it up into miniature chunks. Afterwards, he removed the corks from each bottle and shoved the bread carefully inside. The amount of bread would be enough to feed all the crews for about a week.

"Hang in a little longer," Jack said, uncertain if they could hear him or not. From what he could see on the inside, the crews were extremely thankful to him for keeping them alive, and Jack appreciated their admiration.

But now, it was time for him to rest.

Jack sat down on his bed and removed his boots. Once he had done so, he laid down against the straw-filled pillow and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

* * *

_They had been sailing for about three weeks, making good time on their destination. The East India Trading Company had dispatched the Wicked Wench to intercept a pirate frigate that had raided along the Italian coastline. Their job was to catch up to the ship, kill the pirates aboard, and retrieve any stolen cargo they found._

_Jonathan handled the Wench's wheel with care as he sailed down along the coast of High Barbary, keeping an eye on the horizon for the pirate vessel. He wasn't going to let them slip away on his watch. They would pay for their crimes, and he would make sure of it._

_"Any sign of the pirates yet, Captain?" a voice asked, and Jonathan turned his head to the side to see that it was Mercer addressing him._

_"Not yet, Lieutenant Mercer," Jonathan replied, "Not yet."_

_"I hope you understand, Captain, that I don't take orders from you. My orders are from Commodore Beckett to keep an eye on your progress," Mercer stated, to which Jonathan responded, "That was made that abundantly clear before we left port."_

_"I know, but forgive me for feeling a little uncertain about you're joining up with the Company given your blood," Mercer said, and Jonathan's grip on the wheel tightened._

_"My blood doesn't determine who I am," Jonathan said, "Just because my father was a pirate does not mean that I am. Is that clear?"_

_"Inescapably, Captain," Mercer said, "The Commodore believes as much, but seeing as we haven't found the pirates yet, I'm starting to suspect you may be reconsidering your beliefs."_

_"Well, then put your suspicions to rest. We're going to find those pirates and we're going to wipe them all out like the scum they are," Jonathan said with a hint of anger to his voice._

_"Ship dead ahead!" one of the deckhands called out, "Looks like a frigate, and they're flying pirate colours!"_

_At this, Jonathan shouted "All hands to battle stations! Man the cannons! Full canvas!"_

_Over on the pirate ship, a deckhand handed a spyglass to the captain, a portly man dressed in fine clothing, and he saw the Wench through the lens coming right for his ship at a rapid rate. There was no outrunning this._

_"All hands to cannons! Hard to port!" he ordered, and the crew made haste to do so. The captain then pulled the bo'sun to the side, saying "We either live or die, but either way we fight to the last. They cannot get their hands on what we have."_

_"Aye, sir," the bo'sun replied, and the captain made his way into his cabin._

_The Wench and the pirate ship were running almost directly at each other, but enough distance was kept so that both ships' port sides didn't crash into each other._

_"Ready on the guns, men!" Jonathan ordered his crew of sailors and Royal Marines. The pirate captain then did the same on his own ship. The men from both ships started shouting at each other, and as the ships came to pass each other, the order came._

_"FIRE!"_

_"FIRE!"_

_An onslaught of cannon fire was exchanged from both ships, both sides being pounded heavily with the heavy ammunition. Wood and men both were splintered in what had to be more than sixty cannonballs being fired. By the time the firing had stopped, both of the port sides were heavily damaged, but both were still afloat._

_"Reload! Hit them on their starboard side!" Jonathan ordered, and the British made haste to reload their cannons. The pirate crew were getting ready to fire back from their starboard side, but the Wench had come before they were prepared to face them, and another volley ensued, except this time only the pirate ship was hit._

_The damage was so severe that the pirate ship could not fire back. It sat dead in the water, at the mercy of the Wench._

_"Grappling hooks away, all hands prepare to board!" Jonathan ordered, and the combined forces of sailors and Marines swung from the deck of the Wench onto the deck of the pirate ship. Jonathan landed on the deck of the ship with his sword and pistol brandished, and he proceeded to fight alongside his comrades. He put his sword right through a pirate's back, and then shot another in the chest. He fought with such aggression it was futile for any pirate to stand in his way._

_"Leave the captain to me! He's mine!" Jonathan ordered, and he fought his way across the deck and made it to the cabin doors. He kicked the doors in to see that the captain wasn't there, so he took a door inside the cabin that led below decks and saw the captain with his back turned frantically doing something with a small item on a table._

_Without hesitation, Jonathan shot him in the back._

_"AAAGH!" the captain cried out in pain as he fell onto the floor. Weakly, he attempted to crawl away from Jonathan, but he had put his boot to his leg, and the captain stopped moving. He turned to face Jonathan, and he looked at the pirate with a smirk on his face._

_"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Jonathan said, recognizing his face from illustrations he'd seen, "Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate."_

_Bonnet whimpered and gasped for air at the same time._

_"Word was they hung you in Charlestowne some years back, and yet here you are and visibly not hung," Jonathan mocked, "Funny world, isn't it?"_

_"You... sadistic bastard..." Bonnet gasped, "Do you realize what you've done, boy?"_

_"I just shot a second-rate pirate believed to be dead," Jonathan stated, "One more of your worthless kind removed from this world. Now people will be able to sleep better at night without you thieves and murderers threatening them."_

_"Heh," Bonnet chuckled, "you're unbearably naïve if that's the limit of your view. Now I know that Edward was right about you all... he was always right..."_

_"Wait, Edward who?" Jonathan asked, but Bonnet coughed up blood and didn't answer._

_"Boy..." Bonnet gasped, "I need to tell you something."_

_"Yeah, what is it, then?" Jonathan asked, getting down on one knee._

_"The parcel..." Bonnet said faintly, pointing a finger at the small object sitting on the table, "No one must have the parcel. No one. Please, if you have any sense of honor, then honor my final request and keep it safe. Guard it with your life, but it cannot fall into the hands of any empire. Promise me."_

_Jonathan hesitated for a moment. Should he do his duty and return the parcel, or honor Bonnet's dying wish? Sure he was a pirate, but Jonathan saw that pleading look in his eyes, and all he could see was a man._

_"Please..." Bonnet gasped, "Promise me..."_

_"Alright," Jonathan said, "I promise. I swear on my life that I will protect it."_

_Bonnet then weakly smiled, and then said "T-thank... you..."_

_And it was the last thing he said._

_Jonathan closed Bonnet's eyes as a sign of respect, and then he got up off the floor and picked up the package on the table. It was small enough it would fit inside his cartridge box, but he had made a promise to Bonnet that he would keep it safe. Whatever this was, it mattered enough to this pirate that no one else have it except for Jonathan._

_As he was eyeing the mysterious package, he heard a seductive voice call out from behind him, saying "You have a touch of destiny about you, Jack."_

_Without hesitation, Jonathan quickly pulled his sword out of his scabbard and held it up to the figure behind him. The figure itself was a woman, with dark skin, dreadlocks, a raggedy dress, and an assortment of trinkets about her person._

_"Who are you?" Jonathan demanded, "How do you know my name?"_

_Gently, the strange woman placed her fingers upon Jonathan's sword, and pushed it away from her face._

_"I have been called many things," she said, her sultry voice amplified by her exotic accent, "But you may call me Tia Dalma."_

_"Tia Dalma," Jonathan repeated, and then he said "Only my mother and my wife have ever called me Jack, and you are neither. What do you want from me?"_

_The strange woman gave a wicked grin, and then said "Nothing. I'm only here to tell you that you've made a pivotal decision that will affect the rest of your life."_

_"Get back, you," Jonathan ordered, holding his sword firm as he tried to keep his cool._

_"You've decided to keep Bonnet's parcel hidden. Him final wish be granted," Tia Dalma said, "Surprising given your distaste for men like him."_

_"Why are you here?" Jonathan asked._

_"To remind you that your choice will have consequences to it, good and bad, and nature will take its course," she replied, "You will see me again, Jack. Like I said, a touch of destiny."_

_"This is absolutely ridiculous," Jonathan scoffed, looking away for a moment, "You have to be joking, ri-"_

_As he went to face her again, Tia Dalma had disappeared. Jonathan looked around him for a moment and saw that she was nowhere to be found._

_"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked aloud. He had no idea what just happened, or even why it happened. Pushing the thoughts of the woman out of his mind, he put the parcel into his cartridge box, and then made his way up to the top deck to see that Mercer and the victorious British had the surviving pirates at their mercy._

_"Ah, Captain. There you are," Mercer called over, "You find what you were looking for?"_

_Jonathan hesitated for a moment, and then said, "The captain is dead. There's a cargo hold full of gold, sugar, and rum."_

_"Is that all?" Mercer inquired, hands behind his back._

_"Yes, that is all, Mr. Mercer," Jonathan lied, and then he made his was back over to the deck of the Wench. Once the cargo had been secured in the hull of the trading ship, it sailed off back towards England._

_Jonathan didn't sleep well for the entire voyage home._

_Once they had made it back to London, the crew of the Wench began unloading the cargo they had seized from the pirates so that it could be delivered to the executives of the EITC. But Jonathan paid no mind to the procedures, for there was something much more valuable to him standing at the dockyard._

_She had flowing hair that was long and brown, a complexion as fair as winter snow, and eyes that were as blue as the ocean that he loved so dearly._

_Jonathan rushed directly from the ship over to her, and her face broke into a wide smile showing her perfect, white teeth. She began rushing over towards him, and when they met, Jonathan grabbed hold of her tightly and spun in a circle, laughing while he did so. Afterwards, he set her back down on the ground and gave her a lengthy, passionate kiss. When they broke off from each other, they were both struggling for breath._

_"Hello, sweetheart," Jonathan said to his beloved wife._

_"Hello, Jack," she replied, overjoyed to have her husband back, "How are you?"_

_"Better now that I've come home," Jonathan smiled. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't love this beautiful woman that God had created. He gently leaned in and hugged her, feeling the warmth from her radiate between the both of them. At that moment, he forgot about everything that had transpired recently, and was content to be here in the arms of his beloved._

_"I missed you so much, Maggie" Jonathan nearly whispered into her ear, and she chuckled, "My precious pearl."_

* * *

"GAH!" Jack woke with a start, and he sat upright almost immediately. Quickly, he reached for the pistol still tucked in his trousers and pointed it across the cabin. He started to breathe heavily, pointing his pistol around his room at some imaginary foe. Once he saw that there was no threat to him present, he set the pistol down upon his bed, and felt that there were beads of sweat all over him.

Jack felt his heart racing, and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm himself down.

"It was just a dream," he tell himself, "Nothing more than a dream. Get yourself together, Jack."

Shaking his head, Jack got up out of bed, put his boots on, retrieved his weapons belt, and looked outside and saw that it was nighttime. He told Gibbs to come and wake him when night fell, but he never did.

Sighing, Jack opened the doors to his cabin, wondering what had just happened.


	11. El Matador Del Mar

As Jack exited his cabin, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose, letting the cool night air run along his lungs. He exhaled slowly, the air exiting with naught but a whisper. Opening his eyes, he looked up into the night sky to see it filled with stars shining brightly, and if it were any other night he would've acknowledged it's beauty outright.

But not tonight.

Jack walked up the small set of steps leading to the helm to find that the wheel had been rigged to maintain course, and also the sleeping form of Gibbs lying down on a bag of hardtack towards the stern, clutching a bottle of rum. Jack, brow furrowed, walked over to his first mate and gave him a light kick on the shin, causing Gibbs' eyes to snap open as he sat up quickly saying, "Devil curse you, ya mangy cur!"

He looked up to see Jack standing above him, and said "Oh, sorry, Captain. I didn't know it was you. You know, it's bad luck to wake a man while he's sleepin'."

"Yeah, yeah, bad luck..." Jack said, voice trailing off as he looked away, "Is this why you didn't wake me at nightfall when I was explicit in my communiqué?"

"Aye, Captain," Gibbs said, standing up, "but, you looked to be thrashin' in your sleep so I didn't want to wake ya. Is everything alright with ya, Jack? You seem to be off-kilter as of late. Well, more than usual I should say."

"It's nothing, drop it," Jack said, with a slight irritation in his voice. He was concerned about this thrashing in his sleep. What was going on with him? What was with these dreams he kept having? And why now?

"If there's anything I can do-" Gibbs began, but Jack cut him off saying, "What you can _do_ is drop it, Mr. Gibbs."

Gibbs looked forlorn at Jack's irritable attitude, and said, "Aye, Captain. By the way, you should know that the girl put us on the proper course while you were sleepin', and the Turner lad was asking for you a little bit ago. Should I go and get him?"

"Yeah, whatever," Jack bluntly responded, snatching the bottle of rum from Gibbs' grasp. Gibbs looked in surprise for a moment, concerned as to what was going on with Jack, but then walked back towards the crew's quarters so he could fetch Henry.

Jack sat down on the bag of hardtack and began to chug down the rum. With each swig, Jack let the alcohol burn the back of his throat, and he concentrated on the sting so that he could push out all of the things clouding his head, things he simply wanted to forget.

"Pirate's life," Jack utters to himself, getting more drunk with every moment, "Pirate's life."

When he finished the bottle, he held it in his hands for a moment, eyeing the transparent green glass and turning it over in his hands. He didn't know what caused it, but his temper started to flare up looking at the empty bottle, his cheeks turning a shade of red and his teeth gritting together, and then he threw the bottle down onto the deck where it smashed into a hundred pieces.

Jack huffed heavily, seeing what he'd done, and then brought his knees up to his chest and set his arms across the top of them. He buried his head in his arms for a moment, and then he raised himself up again. Looking across the helm to it's starboard side, Jack saw a guitar lying there. He had picked it up one night from a tavern in Tortuga, and decided that he might one day learn how to play it. Like dad.

Jack got up from his spot and grabbed the guitar from where it was laying. Sitting back down on the sack, Jack began to fiddle with the strings for a moment, and then he started to play a tune that he had heard one time, but he didn't remember where from:

" _There ain't no grave... can hold my body down,"_ Jack sang in a low voice, _"Ain't no grave can hold my body down."_

He began to strum along with more confidence, and as he started to, Henry came up from below deck just in time to hear him playing.

_"When I hear that trumpet sound, I'm gonna rise right out of the ground,"_ Jack continued, _"Ain't no grave can hold my body down. Well, look way down the river, and what do you think I see? I see a band of angels, and they're comin' after me. Ain't no grave can hold my body down."_

Jack continued to play, and then he looked up for a moment to see that Henry was standing before him, eyes darting from the glass on the deck to Jack on the guitar and back again. His gaze focusing on Jack, who had stopped playing, Henry said, "I didn't know you could play."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Henry," Jack said, setting the guitar down as he got up with a drunken wobble.

"Are you drunk?" Henry asked, piecing together Jack's odd behavior with the broken glass, and Jack replied, "Maybe. I'll need another bottle before I'm sure."

Jack tried to walk away, but before he could walk down the steps, Henry reached his arm out and turned Jack back towards him, saying "I think you've had enough for one day, Jack."

Jack laughed, saying "Boy, when you get to be my age, enough is never enough."

Henry sighed, and said "Not when there's a task at hand that needs to be completed. Salazar is probably after us right now, and you're just sitting here doing nothing, drinking and playing music?"

"You call that nothing?" Jack inquired with a grin, "I'm doing two things at once according to you. Besides, we're on course anyway, right? So let me go about my business."

Jack tried to walk away again, but Henry quickly pulled out a sword from one of the weapon barrels and pointed it right at the pirate, freezing him in place.

"What business? Drinking excessively and wallowing in self-pity? Perhaps Carina's right about you," Henry said, pointing the weapon from low at Jack's chest, "Like it or not Jack, you're going to help me break my father's curse."

Jack, though frozen in place from Henry's threat, looked undisturbed by the sword mere inches away from his chest. He looked from the blade back to Henry, and then said "You've never held a sword before, have you boy?"

"Wait, what?" Henry asked, not anticipating the response, "Of course I have."

"Your wrist is locking into place, mate," Jack advised, "Your grip on the handle's too tight. Lighten it."

Puzzled, Henry nevertheless did as Jack said and let his grip on the sword go slightly.

"Very good," Jack commended, "Now, square the pummel. Let the blade be more level."

Henry eyed Jack with curiosity, and then did as he was told and let the sword become more level between the two instead of angled like before.

"Much better," Jack complimented with a smile, and then he took the tip of the blade and put it lightly against his chest. As Henry wondered what Jack was doing, Jack outstretched his arms, and with a smile said "Run me through."

Henry's face scrunched up, asking "What?"

"You look like a strong enough lad if you can hold up a sword to me," Jack taunted, "so go ahead. Your first murder. Happy to be a part of it."

"I've killed men before," Henry said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"No, you haven't," Jack said, his smile dissipating as his brow furrowed, "You're young. You've never had to experience what it is to take another man's life. Everything he was, is, and ever will be, snuffed out forever, and all that's left of him is a pool of blood and a rotting corpse."

Henry's eyes widened in fear, and his hand holding onto the sword began to tremble lightly. Jack took notice of this and grabbed hold of the blade again, this time pressing it closer to the flesh over his heart.

"But you look like a big man," Jack said, "Go on. Do it. I deserve it anyway, me being the filthy, wretched pirate I am."

Henry's breath began to pick up, and he saw that Jack had put enough pressure on the blade that it had cut into his chest very lightly, with a small amount of blood coming out and coating the tip.

"Are you _insane!?"_ a perplexed Henry asked.

"Aren't we all, just a little?" Jack flashed his teeth, and Henry was still taken aback by Jack's borderline-suicidal nature.

"Maybe I'm not a pirate," Henry said, trying to reassert control, "But you're wrong if you think that I wouldn't do it if it meant saving my father."

Jack's hands moved away from the blade and said, "And you're wrong if you think that I'd actually let you."

As he finished, Henry heard the sound of a hammer cocking back, and he saw that Jack had pulled out his pistol and was pointing it right at him. He looked back up at Jack, who was starting to smile again, and then said "Next time you raise a sword, boy, you better be ready to use it."

Henry pulled the sword away from Jack's chest, and then dropped it on the deck. Jack subsequently holstered his pistol. Henry was disturbed by what had just transpired, just as much as he had when he met Salazar.

"It's clear to me that you have none of your father's technique with a blade," Jack commented, "I take it that mummy raised you not to fight, yes?"

"Well, yes," Henry replied faintly.

"What weapons do you know how to use, Henry?" Jack asked.

"Well," Henry thought for a moment, "I know how to clean a cannon, I can shoot a musket-"

"That's good then," Jack said, "There should be a Brown Bess in one of those barrels. If we come across any resistance, I need you ready to fight. And it's obvious that swords are not your specialty, so I guess guns will have to do."

"Wait," Henry said, confused, "you just gave me this whole lecture about killing, and now you're telling me to fight?"

"You need to be prepared for when the time comes, Henry," Jack answered, "I won't always be there to protect you. You never set out with intent to kill someone, but if it comes between you and the other guy, make sure it's you, savvy?"

"Yeah, sure," Henry answered, and Jack patted his shoulder, saying "Good. Because your mother would kill me again if I let anything happen to you."

"That's understa-" Henry began, but then he thought he had misheard Jack, and then asked, "Wait, _again?_ "

"What, Elizabeth didn't tell you?" Jack inquired, taking his hand off the boy's shoulder to which Henry replied, "No, she didn't."

"Well, it's a long story, and will sound _so_ much better coming from her. God, I can imagine the look on her face right now," Jack finished with a chuckle, and then said, "You know, you look a lot like your parents when they were your age. That was when I knew them."

"Really?" Henry asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied, "You definitely have your mother's hair, though you do look more like your father in the face. Both had brown eyes."

"I've only seen my father a few times," Henry said, "I can't be sure if I'm remembering his face correctly, but you're probably right."

Jack laughed again and looked away, remembering the adventures he had with Will and Elizabeth. He didn't realize it at the time, but some of the best adventures he ever had was with them. There was definitely tension between them when it came to them trusting him (and vice-versa), but he remembers all those little moments they had together, where he showed them what being a pirate was truly all about, and them reminding him that he was still a good man deep down. He wondered when this was all over if he would be able to see them again. He would certainly like to.

"Sorry for making you feel tense earlier, Henry," Jack apologized, "I was just in a bad mood is all."

"Apology accepted," Henry said, and Jack said, "You're a lot like your father. You have his conviction, his loyalty, and his inability to not make it painfully obvious that he's pining over a woman."

"What're you talking about?" Henry questioned.

"Come on, I've seen the way that you look at that Carina girl. You fancy her, don't you?" Jack teased.

"What- I just-" Henry stammered, "I only met her like yesterday."

"It's fine, your secret's safe with me," Jack winked, and Henry rolled his eyes. Jack continued, saying "Hey, what's the story with her, anyway? You and I both just happen to run into the same girl yesterday that conveniently has the map to find the Trident. What're the odds of that happening?"

"I don't know," Henry said, knowing he was going to have to lie a little because he didn't want to betray Carina's trust, "She didn't say how she found it, only that she had."

"That's strange," Jack said, "Do you trust her?"

"I do," Henry replied, "What about you?"

"I'm not sure yet," Jack responded, and the _Gull_ continued to sail into the night.

* * *

Three days had passed, and the shadowy form of the _Silent Mary_ continued to drag along the ocean floor. Its broken state did not impede its progress in any way, and the ship had not paused for anything. The ghostly ship continued on, and the pirates brought aboard were held at the mercy of the undead Spanish crew. Because they were in an inferior position, the pirates held their tongues and did as they were told, managing the decks under strict supervision from the officers. No one said a word, no one ate or slept, and no one dared act against the Spanish. To do so would've condemned them to death.

Barbossa stood at the wheel, much as he had for the past few days. Salazar kept close watch on him the entire time, not trusting the pirate captain to uphold his end of the bargain. He wanted to put his sword through him so badly, but he knew he couldn't. Barbossa had been on Jack's crew the day he was cursed, but Jack was who he wanted most, and that mattered more to Salazar. More than anything else in this world, he wanted to make sure Jack Sparrow paid for what he did to him. No one should've had to suffer his fate, least of all him. He had been out to make the world a better place, and all he got was decades of pain and misery.

Barbossa eyed Jack's compass, being sure the _Mary_ was following the arrow so they could find Jack on time. The three days had passed, and if he didn't find Jack by sunrise, he was a dead man. He didn't want to hurt Jack, but he knew what had to be done if he was to keep what was his. He couldn't let that be jeopardized.

After more time had passed, there was still no sign of Jack, and light was starting to creep up over the horizon.

Salazar observed the light, and wheezing as he inhaled, he looked away from Barbossa and said, "Three days have passed. The sun is up, and so is your time."

Salazar tapped his rapier on the deck, and Lesaro, standing to Barbossa's left, put his rapier against his throat.

"Not to disagree," Barbossa quickly spoke before he was killed, "but the precision of our accord ends at sunrise. This be but first light, far from a fully risin' sun, and I know you to be a man of honor."

"Honor?" Salazar questioned, shaking his head, "You know not the meaning of the word."

"That be a bold statement you make, Captain Salazar," Barbossa said, "I'm trying to be cooperative with you."

Salazar scoffed, and then looked towards the ghostly seagulls in the sky, and then said, "Hector Barbossa. That's a name awfully Spanish for an English pirate, no?"

Barbossa gulped, not liking where this was going. Salazar then walked closer to him and said " _Dime, hablas mi idioma?"_ **("Tell me, do you speak my language?")**

_"Si, lo hago,"_ Barbossa replied, having not spoken Spanish for many years, _"Lo aprendi de mi padre."_ **("Yes, I do. I learned it from my father.")**

"Interesting that you mention him," Salazar said in English, "because I remember Rictor Barbossa."

Barbossa froze, shocked at this news, and Salazar continued on, "He joined up with the Spanish Navy about the same time I had, the both of us deckhands. Let me tell you, _hombre,_ your father could load a cannon by himself faster than any crew could. Good man, good friend. That is, until he was killed in battle, leaving behind a wife and son I had yet to meet."

"Why you be tellin' me this?" Barbossa inquired, "I know who my father was."

"And you don't see your hypocrisy by becoming the very sort of creature that your father fought to destroy?" Salazar added, "He hated pirates more than I do. He'd be ashamed to look upon his own son as nothing more than a thief and a murderer that thinks only of himself."

Salazar turned around and walked back towards the edge of the ship, and then said "You know nothing of honor. You know nothing of me."

"I know what it's like to be bested by Jack Sparrow," Barbossa began, "to have your life stolen by him as he tries to prove himself superior to us. He's an enemy to us both-"

Salazar grunted, and quickly turned around as he hastily limped towards Barbossa, "You don't know who I am. Don't you dare compare whatever strife you've suffered to my own. What know you about what _real_ honor is, _hombre?_ Tell me, what is it?"

"I- I've heard stories," Barbossa stammered as Salazar leaned in close to him, "Stories from before our encounter thirty years ago, of a mighty Spanish captain, _El Matador Del Mar,_ a man who scourged the sea with his wrath, hunted and killed thousands of men-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Men? No, no, no," Salazar interrupted him, "Not men. _Pirates!"_

Barbossa flinched as he felt some of Salazar's black blood spat onto his waistcoat. The Spaniard turned his head to face the horizon, where he saw the dim light in the distance, muttering " _Pirates..."_

Salazar closed his eyes, and he remembered. He remembered it all.

He walked away from Barbossa, and continued to pace about the helm until he started to speak, saying "Want to know who I am, _hombre?_ Well, let me tell you then."

"Pirates have infected the seas for generations," he wheezed, "They took the life of my grandfather when my own father was a boy. He was a merchant sailor, dedicating himself to providing goods for the people of _Espana._ One day on a voyage home from these islands, his ship was plundered by pirates, killing everyone aboard including him. My father grieved, but he did not hate the pirates. You see, my father was a man of God, and he did not believe in revenge. He thought that pirates were just lost souls that needed to be guided back to the light."

Salazar sighed, and then he continued, saying "He became a Catholic missionary, hoping to spread the word of God throughout the Caribbean, and he made numerous voyages to and from _Espana_ encouraging the scum of the world to give up their wicked ways and let goodness enter their hearts. And you know what he got in return for turning the other cheek and trying to make peace with those that killed his father?"

Barbossa said nothing, and Salazar said, "Of course you're silent, because you know what your kind do to innocent people. They gutted him like a fish and left his body in the harbor of Havana. I was only eight."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Barbossa said honestly, but Salazar ignored him. Despite fearing his destructive power, Barbossa couldn't help but pity Salazar. He understood now where all that anger had come from.

"Since then, I learned to not repeat his mistake," Salazar continued, "I do not forgive, for that is a weakness. The only way to be rid of evil is to completely obliterate it from the face of the Earth. I learned that pirates were not men, and thus were not to be treated like men. They're butchers, thieves, rapists, killers, and all things encompassing greed and selfishness. So, as a result, I vowed to end the plague that was piracy once and for all."

He closed his eyes again, and remembered all the years of fighting for Spain. He remembered back when the _Silent Mary_ was at the height of his power, back when he was regarded as a hero by his country, and remembered the sight of ships burning around him and the smell of the gunpowder from the cannons.

"So that is what I did. I destroyed dozens of ships belonging to the pirate scum," Salazar said, relish in his voice as he recounted the battles. The heat of combat only cooled by the spray of the sea, the satisfaction he got from every victory.

"We were unbeatable," Salazar recollected, "Nothing could stop the _Silent Mary._ She was the mightiest warship ever constructed for the Armada. Back home, we were revered as heroes for our actions. Even the king thought as much."

"We were so successful in cleansing the world of piracy, that some of the few remaining ones joined together to defeat _me,_ but they soon came to realize that it was hopeless," Salazar said, chuckling at the very thought of it, "And this is where the real story begins."

He recalls that day, thirty years ago, when the Brethren Court had sent out a dozen ships to challenge the _Mary_ and its crew. They were outnumbered that day, but the pirates had underestimated the Spanish. The fight was long and bitter, and by the time the smoke had cleared, the _Mary_ hadn't been touched. All of the pirate ships had burning hulls and were sinking down to the depths of the ocean. He distinctly remembers the Jolly Roger of the last ship to sink being ablaze before it joined the rest on the way to Davy Jones' Locker.

"The sea was finally... pure," Salazar said, eerily calm for his personality, "Their wretched flags would no longer stain the world with all they represented: fear, pain, and death."

He remembered the cheer his crew gave after they had won. It was music to his ears.

"But, in that moment of victory," Salazar continued, and his teeth clenched together, "that's when I heard that voice."

" _Oi, Spaniards!"_

"I saw, through the smoke of the battle, that wretched ship with tattered sails," Salazar continued, turning to face Barbossa, "The _Black Pearl,_ the very ship you were first mate aboard."

Barbossa gulped, and Salazar continued on, "And then, up in the crow's nest, there was this young pirate... _boy,_ just sitting there all high and mighty, flapping his arms around like... like a little bird, eh? And he was mocking me, insulting my strength, unfazed by all the destruction around him. You remember this, you were there. And from that day forth, that boy had earned himself a name that would haunt me for all the years I was trapped inside the Devil's Triangle."

Salazar faced away from Barbossa, and then looked up towards the sky to see the undead seagulls again, and then, with pure venom in his voice, uttered a single name, "Jack Sparrow."

"This boy," Salazar began again, "This boy was mocking my power, so I chased him, knowing that I would run my blade along his neck, and once he was dead I would finally have rid the world of pirates for good. And that was my biggest mistake."

He remembered ordering the _Mary_ to give chase to the _Pearl,_ recalling the blackened ship's incredible speed as they were being pursued through the waters of the Triangle. He remembers how, at the last second, Jack had ordered that the crew perform a bootleg turn at the rocks outside the cave entrance. The _Mary_ was too big to make such a turn and going too fast to slow down. He remembers Jack strutting confidently across the deck as the _Pearl_ was now going in the opposite direction as the _Mary,_ smirking at him directly and swinging his compass around on a small rope. He had been bested that day by a mere boy that had outwitted him, and Salazar remembers the pure hatred he felt at him from that moment onward.

The _Mary_ had crashed into the rocks inside the cave of the Devil's Triangle. Salazar remembers the screams of pain and terror coming from his crew as they burned to death along with the ship. They didn't deserve such a horrible fate. They were good men that sailed not just for the Spanish Crown, but for the rest of the world in protecting it from piracy. And now, instead of being able to return to Spain as heroes, they, along with Salazar, were to be trapped inside the Triangle for decades, suffering in agony as cursed, undead monsters. When Salazar himself died and was cursed, all he could think about was the pirate who had sent them to Hell and didn't think twice about doing so, and desired nothing more than revenge."

"Jack Sparrow took everything from me," Salazar began, his voice cracking with sadness, "and he filled me with... rage... and pain."

Salazar sighed, and Barbossa didn't feel scared of him anymore. Despite the fact that Lesaro still had his blade to his throat, Barbossa didn't care. He never thought he would've cared for anyone's sob-story after enduring the curse of Cortes' treasure, but after hearing him speak for himself, taking in all the agony in his voice, he felt a great swell of pity for the ghostly Spaniard. He felt terrible for even playing a part in contributing to his suffering, and it was a feeling that was unfamiliar to the old pirate: regret.

"And he is where the tale ends," Salazar concluded, looking out over the starboard side and seeing that the sun wasn't fully up yet, "You still have some time left, _hombre._ Sparrow's life better be mine soon."

"He will be, I can assure you of that," Barbossa said, feeling conflicted. Maybe Jack did have to pay after all.

Salazar was about to reply, but then he saw something out in the distance off the starboard side, asking aloud " _Que?"_

"What is it, _Capitan?"_ Lesaro asked, his sword still over Barbossa's throat.

"It... it looks like a ship in the distance. Give me a spyglass," Salazar demanded, and one of his men put one in his hand. He extended it to see if it was Sparrow out in the distance, but it was something else entirely. There was a small merchant schooner bearing a British flag looking to be under siege from another schooner bearing a black flag.

_"Pirates,"_ Salazar said under his breath, his anger rising as he saw the merchant vessel under attack. He knew that finding Jack Sparrow was his priority, but there were innocent people aboard that ship being attacked by the pirate scum.

"Lesaro, keep Barbossa on course! Six men, with me!" Salazar ordered, drawing his rapier from his scabbard. With haste, six of Salazar's men rushed to their captain's side, pulling out their own swords. The ghosts then leapt over the edge of the _Mary_ and landed on the ocean's surface like it were a solid floor, and then started to charge at the ensuing conflict with their swords raised in the air.

"Prepare to board!" Salazar ordered, and he and his men got up onto the deck of the merchant ship, seeing that the merchants were barely holding their own against the besieging pirates. After a moment, the merchants and the pirates both took notice of the ghosts being there, and then they started to panic. Without hesitation, the ghostly Spaniards went to work on the pirates, cutting them down one by one as they protected the defending merchants from the buccaneers' blades. The situation had turned so horrible for the pirates that the last one grabbed a young boy that had been accompanying them on the trip and put his sword against his neck.

"Let me go or I swear on me life I'll gut 'im!" the pirate shouted, nervously looking from one ghost to the next as he held the squirming boy. He slowly backed up towards the stern of the ship, but before he could do anything else, Salazar had phased from the lower deck onto the top deck and stuck his rapier right through his back.

The pirate fell to the ground dead, and his grip on the boy was nonexistent. After seeing that all the pirates had been dealt with, Salazar walked around the boy and looked him in the face. The boy began to whimper at Salazar's ghostly exterior, and then the Spaniard got down on one knee and said "Shh, shh, shh, it's alright now. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe."

He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to provide him with some comfort, "You know, you remind me a lot of my sons."

"R-really?" the boy stammered, his fear of Salazar dissipating.

"Yes," Salazar said, attempting to smile, "They too wanted to sail the seas when they were old enough. But it looks like you have enough courage for it already, yes?"

"I- I think so," the boy said, "Thanks for saving us."

"That's my job," Salazar said, "I protect people from evil men like these."

Salazar got off his knee and ruffled the boy's blond hair, hoping he would grow up to have a bright future ahead of him. He looked to all of the adults aboard and gave a silent nod, and then he motioned for his men to depart from the ship and head back towards the Mary. They had made it back with incredible speed and were able to catch up with the ship before it went too far ahead.

Salazar walked up towards Barbossa and said "I need to tell you something, _Capitan."_

"What would that be?" the pirate asked, curious.

"You see these medals?" the ghost asked, pointing his index finger to the three medals over his breast, "These mean nothing to me. They're mere trinkets representing my accomplishments. But that-" He pointed his finger back towards the merchant ship, " _That_ right there is how I measure my victories. _That_ is why I kill pirates and show no remorse for it. You call me _El Matador Del Mar_ as if I'm some kind of monster. I did what I did to keep people safe, to prevent them from suffering the same tragedy that I've suffered."

Salazar's breath wheezed as he inhaled again, saying "And then that _bastardo_ Jack Sparrow made sure that all that I did was for nothing. Let me ask you something, Hector Barbossa, who is the _real_ monster here?"

Barbossa had no response to Salazar's question, for he had seen that the sun had fully risen at last.

"Ah, sunrise," Salazar remarked, "Your deadline is reached."

As Lesaro prepared to cut his throat, Barbossa quickly pointed out in front of him and said, "But look! Up ahead, do you see it?"

Salazar opened up his spyglass again and looked beyond, and he saw a small, decrepit ship sailing ahead, and at the helm was the man he hated more than anything else in the world.

_Jack Sparrow._


	12. You're Going To Need A Bigger Boat

Daylight had arrived, and the crew of the _Dying Gull_ were at their stations, managing the sails as they sailed along the vast, blue ocean. They had been at this for around three days, and not much activity had transpired apart from daily ship routines. At Jack's behest, they had not bothered Carina about the map, but they were starting to become restless after being kept in the dark for several days on the details of the voyage.

Carina didn't mind, though. She liked that they hadn't disturbed her while she worked to make sure they were going the proper course. She couldn't afford any distractions, because three days had passed, and only two days remained before the stars disappeared again. And she wasn't going to wait several years before they reappeared either. For her, it was now or never.

_"If only this ship could go any faster,"_ she says mentally. The longer she spent on the _Gull,_ the more she felt like her chances of swimming to the island would be better. Even if the ship _were_ faster, Carina would still attempt to look for any excuse to get away from the pirates. None of them had attempted to hurt her (so far), but she still didn't trust any of them, especially Jack. To her, he was a means to an end, nothing more. Once she found the Trident, she would get as far away from him as possible.

Still, there was something about the pirate that she couldn't quite place her finger on. Carina's first impression of him when he stumbled into the astronomy shop was that he was some drunken, foolish criminal. The mere sight of him would give anyone that thought, and by his slurred speech and awkward stumbling that should've confirmed it. But... he had saved her. He didn't even know her and he had saved her from the Redcoats. She didn't understand why; he was a pirate, and pirates are greedy and self-centered and of low intelligence. But Jack Sparrow appeared to have none of those attributes, try as he may to hide them. He was quite good at it too, appearing very drunk and stupid whenever he presented himself, but Carina was smart. She saw through his charade, and saw that there was a very clever man hiding beneath all the dreadlocks and ragged clothing. Only a highly-educated person could've known what the "map no man can read" was without Galileo's diary, and that only reaffirmed her judgment on his intelligence. He was certainly an enigma, and she believed that if he weren't a pirate, he would've made an impressive stage actor.

Carina certainly respected Jack on an intellectual level, but she didn't know if she could trust him or even if she should. The fact that he already knew about the map (for a pirate no less) made her suspicious of him. And for that, she didn't let any sort of admiration of him show. Carina was a very proud person, and she would maintain her outward distrust of him. She wouldn't compromise finding the Trident just because one pirate seemed smarter than others. It was better to not even associate with their kind; she was an astronomer and they were nothing more than criminals. Once she had found the Trident, she would never speak to another pirate as long as she lived. Finishing what her father started is what mattered to her, not Jack Sparrow.

Standing at the bow, Carina was looking through the diary's contents for any sort of clue that she overlooked, while also keeping track of time on her chronometer. Flipping through the pages, she saw nothing of vital importance, but she did pause on a page that contained an illustration. It wasn't a chart or anything that could be used practically, but just a sketch that Galileo made of what looked to be a six-headed dragon.

"Is that what I think it is?" the voice of Henry spoke without warning, and Carina jumped slightly as she shut the book tight. She turned to see Henry was looking over her right shoulder.

"Dammit, you scared me," Carina scolded, and Henry quickly apologized, raising his hands and saying "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I was just- uh..."

"Just what?" Carina asked, curious what his intentions were, but Henry averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his head, saying "Nothing, forget it."

Sighing, Carina changed the subject and inquired, "What did you see?"

"Oh!" Henry said, eyes widening. He gestured to Carina to hand him the diary, and then he opened it up to the page where the dragon was, "There it is, look. It's a depiction of the Hydra."

"What's a Hydra, exactly?" Carina asked. Mythology was not her strongest suit for it was just a bunch of nonsense.

"The Lernaean Hydra is a beast in Greek mythology," Henry began, "A creature that guards the entrance to the Underworld. Legend says it was slain by Hercules, but it looks like Galileo might have found something to say otherwise."

Carina chuckled lightly, saying "Here you go again with the myths and curses and monsters. I thought you were mad at first, but it's just adorable now."

"Carina, come on," Henry whined. He hated how she kept doubting him, "Galileo wouldn't have put this in the diary for nothing. He _knew_ something about it. At least see if he made mention of it."

"Very well," Carina said, scanning through the pages until she found the excerpt, and then translated it through very rough Italian, " _Of all beasts known to man, none is more fearsome than the Hydra. A creature of massive size and strength, it has many heads atop its body, and should one be removed two more shall take its place. Only Poseidon can keep the creature at bay, for its life-essence is controlled by his Trident."_

"Oh, this is just great," Henry complained, putting his hand over his forehead and turning around, "Now there's a Hydra. Isn't that just brilliant? Isn't that just... bloody... brilliant!?"

"You read too many stories," Carina scoffed.

"You don't read _enough_ stories," Henry retorted, and then he looked up to see Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, Pintel, and Ragetti standing in front of the both of them, eyes fixated on him because he was the only once facing their direction.

Henry backed up to the edge of the bow, and then nudged Carina in the shoulder. She gave him a quick glance, and then she looked over her shoulder to see the entire crew facing them and her eyes widened. She turned around, making sure she was holding both the diary and the chronometer behind her back. Henry was the only one she trusted about this knowledge, and wasn't keen about sharing anything with the pirates. She took a step to the left and stood shoulder-to-shoulder to Henry, and then handed him the diary from behind her back so that they wouldn't find it on her. Henry subsequently took the diary with his arms behind his back and stuck it in the back of his trousers.

"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Henry began.

"We've been sailin' for three days on nothing but your word that it's the route to the Trident," Gibbs said.

"As it would 'appen, we're startin' ta think that your word don't mean a red cent," Pintel added.

"So, me and the boys were thinkin' you might share this knowledge with us to... better ease our minds," Gibbs finished.

"Oi, what be this?" Jack spoke, and the crew turned to see him walking towards the lot of them.

"We don't feel exactly comfortable sailin' with a witch that won't tell us where to go," Marty spoke up.

"I am _not_ a witch," Carina sternly replied. She was getting tired of these idiotic accusations, "And I have told you where to go if you were paying attention. We'll find the Trident soon."

"You've been saying that for three days, miss," Ragetti said, "No offense."

"Leave her be," Henry spoke to the pirates, "Just give her a little bit longer."

"RAWK," Cotton's parrot squawked, "Walk the plank!"

"What did the bird say?" Carina asked, getting annoyed and raising an eyebrow.

Jack made his way between where Gibbs and Pintel were standing and said, "It has a point, you know. We've been out sailing for several days without any indication that you actually know the way. We're going to need proof."

"One thing we know for certain," Ragetti inserted, raising a finger, "is that stars don't shine by day. So how are we able to keep course in daytime?"

Carina gave a quick glance to Henry, and Henry did the same. Sighing, Carina pulled out her chronometer and showed it to the crew.

"What's that?" Marty asked.

"This is a chronometer," Carina said, "It keeps the exact time in London. I'm using it to make an altitude measurement to determine longitude. That's how we know where we are at sea during the day."

"Very impressive, lass," Jack complimented, hands resting at his belt, "How does a girl like you come to know stuff like this?"

"Well, not only do I study astronomy but horology as well," Carina said, feeling cocky at that moment. However, when she did, she saw that all the pirates had peculiar looks on their faces with the exception of Jack and Ragetti. Jack looked at his crewmates' confusion and then put his face in his hand.

"What?" Carina asked, puzzled at the pirates' reaction.

"Nothing, nothing!" Pintel spoke up, "No shame in that, dear. We all have to make a living."

"What? I just said I studied horolo- oh," she stopped, realizing how that sounded to a bunch of rum-soaked pirates.

"So did my mum," Pintel continued, "though she didn't crow about it as loud as you do."

Jack sighed, and ran a hand down his face in disappointment, rhetorically asking, "Why do I even have you on my crew?"

"No, no, you got it all wrong," Ragetti spoke up, facing Pintel, "Horology would be the study of time."

"Thank you!" Carina exclaimed, holding out both her arms to gesture her relief that someone understood her.

"Yeah, and she was always lookin' at her watch," Pintel said to Ragetti.

"Shut up, you," Carina said in a low voice, looking towards the deck and putting her arms back to her sides.

"I can vouch for that," Marty said to Pintel, and then everyone glanced at the dwarf for a moment, and he said "What?"

Everyone looked away from Marty, and then Ragetti continued, "Horology involves timepieces and the sun and such."

"Well, mum never talked about that," Pintel inserted, but Jack had grown tired of this bickering, requesting "Can we please get back to the topic at hand, gentlemen?"

After everyone had settled down, Jack looked at Carina and said, "So, you can keep track of the stars during the day, very good. But the real question is this, and it's been burning me ever since we left port: what stars do we follow?"

As he said this, he kept getting closer to Carina, until he was mere inches from her face. Carina was starting to feel nervous at his presence.

"I- I-" Carina stammered, but no words came out.

"What is it that you're not telling me?" Jack inquired, and Carina started to speak, saying, "You see, there's-"

"Ship to the aft!" Gibbs called out, and everyone's attention was focused on him, and he was standing at the back of the ship pointing out into the open ocean. Quickly, Jack, Carina, Henry, and the rest of the crew joined Gibbs at the rear and looked out over the water to see what he'd seen.

"What is it? What do you see?" Jack asked his first mate, hoping this wasn't who he thought it was. Gibbs took out a spyglass and placed it in Jack's hand, whereupon he opened it and looked beyond at the ship off in the distance.

There were blackened seagulls flying around it. It's mast was dragging in the water. It's hull was severely breached but still afloat. It was the _Silent Mary._

Jack slowly lowered the spyglass as his face became petrified with fear at what he'd seen. Henry was right; he hadn't been making this up after all. Salazar had returned, and now he saw his decrepit ship sailing right towards him. He should never have given up his compass. If he hadn't, they wouldn't be in this mess. But now, _El Matador Del Mar_ had returned, and he wanted his revenge on the man who sent him to Hell: him.

Henry seized the spyglass from Jack's grip, extending it so he could look at the _Mary._ He recognized the ship from when it attacked the _Monarch,_ and feared that now the _Gull_ would suffer the same fate.

"Salazar," Henry uttered aloud, and then the other pirates had heard him.

"Wait a minute, did you just-" Pintel began, his skin going pale, "Do you mean-"

" _The_ Salazar?" Ragetti inserted, "The pirate hunter?"

"It would appear to be so," Jack said in a very serious voice, continuing to stare at the ship from far away.

"Jack," Henry said, "We need to get out of here right now. The dead will not stop until they have their revenge."

" _Dead!?"_ Gibbs inquired, shocked at this revelation, "Jack, you never told us the dead were part of this deal!"

"There were reasons for that, mate," Jack responded, not even facing Gibbs.

"And why would that be?" Gibbs inquired sternly, but before Jack could respond, Carina asked, "Who's Salazar?"

"Only the most feared pirate hunter in all of history," Pintel began, "He's a savage killer he is. All men who fly the black flag are his victims."

"Never leaves any survivors except for one to tell the tale," Ragetti continued.

"And now he wants his revenge," Jack finished.

"What would he want revenge for?" Carina asked.

"Because I killed him," Jack finished, and Carina looked at him skeptically and said "So we're being chased by ghosts is what you're saying, right?"

"Without a doubt," Jack said, still staring at the _Mary._

"I knew it was a bad idea to sail with you again," Marty inserted.

"That's it, kill them all," Pintel stated, and he, Ragetti, Cotton, and Marty pulled out their pistols on Jack, Carina, and Henry.

"Hey, hey, hey, hold it!" Henry shouted, raising his hands up in the air, and Carina did the same.

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you, mates," Jack replied coolly, facing his now-hostile crew.

"And why shouldn't we?" Pintel asked.

"Because if you kill me, then I'll be dead," Jack stated simply and calmly, walking to stand between Henry and Carina and putting his arms out to make them stand behind him, "And Salazar wants his revenge against me. He can't have his revenge against me if I'm already dead, so he'll take his anger out on those that made me dead, which denied him of his revenge, and make _you_ all dead, savvy?"

That seemed to make sense to the crew, for they started to give assuring nods to one another.

"But Jack, what are we going to do then?" Gibbs asked pleadingly. Jack didn't have an immediate answer, but then he looked out over the port bow and saw an island not too far away from them. Suddenly, lightning flashed inside his head, and his face broke into a smile.

"Here's the plan," Jack began, addressing his crew, and they started to lower their guns, "Me, Henry, and Carina here will take one of the lifeboats to shore on that island yonder, and draw the Spaniard's attention away from you; it's me he wants most. While he's trying to deal with me, we'll make our way across the island, and you sail around and pick us up on the other side. Simple."

"I'm not coming with you," Carina spoke up, but then Jack said "You have the map. I'm not letting the map out of me sight, savvy?"

"Fine, whatever," Carina rolled her eyes, deciding to go along with Jack's plan. Henry didn't argue and picked up the Brown Bess from the weapons' barrel and slung the strap over his shoulder.

"Goody," Jack responded. He turned his attention to Gibbs and said, "You'll be captain until we get back, Mr. Gibbs."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Gibbs loyally responded, and then Jack, Henry, and Carina got into one of the lifeboats and Marty and Cotton lowered them down.

"Just be sure to reach us in time, alright?" Jack called up, and Gibbs gave him the thumb's up. Jack returned the courtesy.

As Henry and Jack each grabbed an oar and started paddling away from the _Gull,_ Gibbs turned to face what's left of the crew and said "Alright, boys. Jack's buying us some time. Let's make for the other side of this isle with haste. Cotton, release the foresails. Marty, man the aft lines. Pintel, Ragetti, I need you to-"

Gibbs looked behind him and saw that Pintel and Ragetti had disappeared. They were no longer on the ship. The only ones left were Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton.

"Devil curse those braggarts," Gibbs muttered under his breath, "Where are they?"

Pintel and Ragetti had gotten into the other lifeboat and were starting to paddle away themselves towards the island.

"Hey," Ragetti asked, "you suppose this is what we should be doin'?"

"Of course it is," Pintel responded, "A ship like that shouldn't need more than three people to crew it. They'll be fine."

"True enough," Ragetti said, "Besides, it's probably best we abscond ourselves. We were _with_ Captain Jack the day he killed Salazar. Best to get out of his way should he remember us."

"He couldn't remember us," Pintel said confidently, but then his complexion became worried, "could he?"

"Stranger things have happened," Ragetti said, and Pintel replied, "Aye."

The _Gull_ started to divert its course away from the island, and all that remained were the two lifeboats heading towards the island with haste.

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Carina remarked, sitting with her arms across her knees as Jack and Henry manned the oars opposite her.

"Carina, the dead are coming," Henry tried to explain again, but Carina wasn't having any of it.

"The dead? Really?" Carina asked in a mocking tone, "I'm an academic. I choose not to believe in supernatural nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Jack repeated, seemingly amused by her remark, "Welcome to the Caribbean, love."

"There's no rational basis for the supernatural. Science simply doesn't support it," Carina stated with confidence, and Jack just laughed as he kept on rowing.

"Do you not see what's behind us?" Henry asked, getting tired of Carina continuing to doubt him. She looked over her shoulder to see the _Silent Mary_ still in the distance, not close enough for her to see the undead Spaniards.

On the deck of the _Mary,_ Salazar was watching the boats escape toward the island with his spyglass. On those boats, he saw that Jack Sparrow was trying to flee with some girl and...

"Henry, tsk, tsk, tsk," Salazar muttered to himself, "I had so much hope for you. 'Tis a shame you'll have to die too."

He continued to survey the activity ahead, and saw Pintel and Ragetti in the other boat. Salazar smiled in glee; not only would he have Jack's life, but these two as well. Now that he had Barbossa aboard, he could get all four today. All that would be left would be Bootstrap Bill Turner.

But Jack Sparrow took priority over everyone else.

"Lesaro!" Salazar called over to his lieutenant, and Lesaro rapidly responded " _Si, Capitan?"_

"Drop them," Salazar said with a wicked grin, and Lesaro was happy to comply, repeating his order to his men.

"Drop them! Drop them now!" Lesaro ordered, and several crewmembers of the _Mary_ made their way below decks to the hull to retrieve their secret weapons: three sharks that had had the misfortune of being trapped inside the Devil's Triangle, cursed just like the Spanish, chained up and awaiting use. Two were tiger sharks, and one was a hammerhead.

Back on the lifeboat, Carina stood up from where she was sitting and said "Alright, that's it."

"What're you doing?" Henry asked, watching her start to undo the buttons on the front of her dress.

"Dead or not, the men on that ship are looking for Jack, and Jack is on _this_ boat," Carina said, getting the buttons down to her knee before continuing, "so I'm going to swim for it."

Jack cleared his throat and then said, "You know what? Normally, I'd make some remark in regards to a woman undressing right in front of me, but you're way too young for me to even entertain the thought."

Jack put a hand over his eyes and averted his gaze, and Carina went "Huh. Nice to see that chivalry isn't dead, even for pirates."

On the other boat, Pintel noticed that Carina was undressing, and said, "Hey, look! Over there!"

He pointed a finger at the activity on the other boat, and Ragetti replied, "What she be doin' that for?"

"Does there need to be a reason?" Pintel suggested, and the both of them kept staring at her.

"Carina, please stop that," Henry pleaded, just as she finished unbuttoning herself and then.

"Go ahead if you like, just don't make me look," Jack inserted.

"This has gone far enough!" Henry exclaimed, but Carina merely rolled her eyes as she finished removing her dress, leaving on only her undergarments.

"The dress smells of rum and stale hay anyway. See you ashore," Carina said as she took off her shoes, and as she was about to leap off, Jack stopped looking away and saw the small pouch tied to her leg. Before he could ask her about it, though, she jumped into the water and began to swim away.

Jack and Henry both watched as Carina began to swim towards the island, and then Henry faced Jack with a wide smile on his face and excitedly said "I saw her ankles!"

"Listen here," Jack said, "If we happen to make it out of this, then I give you my blessing for you to court your bonny lass."

As Jack and Henry continued to row towards the island, Salazar had made it to the edge of the _Mary_ to see his men dropping the sharks into the water.

_"Kill the Sparrow,"_ Salazar spoke to the sharks. As he said this, the sharks came to life underwater, their eyes opening and what was left of their skeletal structures snapping into place. In Salazar's mind, this would be a perfect way for Jack to die.

"So," Jack asked Henry as they continued to paddle, "what has she got inside that little pouch of hers?"

"What do you mean?" Henry inquired.

"The thing around her leg, what's in it?" Jack asked again, rowing faster, "You must have some idea."

"No, none at all," Henry lied, and he continued to paddle along with Jack. As they continued to paddle as fast as they could, they saw that the _Mary_ was getting closer and closer, whereupon Henry said "This isn't working. I'm going with her."

Henry put down his oar and then stood up as he removed his jacket, and Jack got up from where he was sitting and walked to the other side of the boat and asked "What do you think you're doing?"

"Salazar's on our heels, and I am _not_ prepared to meet him again," Henry said, throwing his jacket down onto the boat. He got up on the edge and prepared to dive into the water, but just as he was about to leap off, the water before him splashed and out of it rose the head of one of the undead tiger sharks, its jaws snapping violently.

"WOAAAAAHHHH!" Henry yelled, flailing his arms as he tried to maintain his balance. Acting quickly, Jack had grabbed the back of Henry's trousers and pulled him back onto the boat, with Henry landing on top of Jack.

"Henry, you okay!?" Jack asked with panic in his voice.

"I think so!" Henry responded. Was that what he thought it was?

Without warning, a crashing sound came from behind, and both Jack and Henry saw the other tiger shark leap onto the back of the boat, breaking the wood of the rear and rocking the boat with intensity. The creature snapped its jaws repeatedly, but fortunately it hadn't touched either of the men on the boat before falling back into the water.

"Shark," Jack said with a high-pitched crack in his voice.

Jack and Henry both stood up on the boat and started to scan the water rapidly for the sharks. They both picked up their oars and prepared to defend themselves from the attack. Henry was looking at the front and saw one of the tiger sharks swimming beneath the starboard side, and then without warning the hammerhead shark's head came crashing into the port side, getting stuck between the wood it couldn't break. Before it could cause any more damage to the boat, Henry whacked its nose with the oar repeatedly, trying to get it to stay away, but eventually the oar became stuck in an open cavity in the creature's head. Henry struggled to pull the oar out of the hammerhead, but then it freed itself from the boat and made its way back underwater. Henry continued to pull to free the oar, but when the oar finally came loose, Henry had used too much force and ended up falling backward into the water, some distance away from the boat.

"Henry!" Jack cried out in fear. He was now sitting in the water where three hungry, undead sharks would soon be upon him. Jack extended his oar out to where Henry was and shouted "Grab on!"

Henry grabbed the end of the oar Jack extended, and Jack pulled as hard as he could to get Henry back on the boat before he was eaten. As Henry started to climb his way back into the boat, one of the tiger sharks saw his legs still in the water and rushed to chomp it. Jack had managed to pull Henry in just in time, for at the precise moment he did the tiger shark leapt over them, and both men could see clearly its undead state as it clamped its jaws down on nothing but air, dripping water on the both of them and smelling its foul breath. It then landed in the water on the other side of the boat with a tremendous splash, a lot of the water seeping into the boat along with what damage had been sustained.

Pintel and Ragetti had taken notice of the tiger shark that had been attacking them. Pintel pulled out his sword and attempted to keep the shark at bay, while Ragetti used both oars with rapid speed to get them to the shallows.

"Get back, fishy!" Pintel shouted at the shark, whacking its nose with his sword repeatedly. Ragetti noticed this and said "That just makes it angrier!"

"What, the sword or saying 'fishy?'" Pintel questioned, but he didn't await a response. He continued to whack the shark whose jaws continued to snap at him, but then the tip of his sword became stuck in its eye.

"Me sword's stuck!" Pintel shouted, grabbing onto the handle with both hands as he struggled against the force of the shark trying to pull away. Acting quickly, Ragetti stopped paddling for a moment, drew out his pistol, and shot the creature in the head, forcing the shark and the sword tip to separate. Ragetti didn't wait for a thank-you before he resumed paddling rapidly.

Carina's situation had been a lot better, for the sharks were not attacking her. She had made it to shore and started gasping for breath because of how much distance she swam in such a short period of time. Her knickers were completely drenched, and she was feeling sluggish from all the water still on her. After walking onto the shore for a few steps, she collapsed onto the dry sand and lied there.

"Are you alright!?" Jack asked Henry with concern, starting to use his hands to pale out as much water from the boat as he could. He didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

"I'm fine!" Henry replied, cupping his own hands as he tried to move the water out before the boat sunk, "I don't think this is working!"

"No, no! We'll be fine! We'll be fine!" Jack tried to reassure him, but he wasn't sure himself if they would make it out of this.

Salazar was watching the whole scene unfold from the bow of the _Mary,_ displeased that the sharks hadn't finished off Jack already. Turning to his men, he unsheathed his rapier, and ordered " _VAMOS!"_

Salazar's men unsheathed their own swords and let out a mighty war cry, and then he and his crew jumped over the Mary and landed onto the water. Salazar raised his rapier and shouted "KILL THE SPARROW!"

The Spanish let out another war cry, and they started to charge across the water. Henry and Jack stopped paling water for a moment and took notice of Salazar's men rushing towards them. Jack looked over his shoulder at Henry and asked, "How do they do that?"

Ignoring Jack's rhetorical question, Henry stood up and said "We'll have to swim for it! I'll distract them!"

Henry grabbed hold of Carina's dress, balled it up, and threw it out far away from them. When it had landed, both the hammerhead and the tiger shark darted towards the dress and started to chew it up. Henry knew that Carina would be pissed off about this later on, but this was a matter of life and death.

"Now!" Henry shouted, and he leapt into the water, beginning to swim rapidly towards the shore. Jack stood up and was going to leap into the water himself, but before he did, he stepped on a loose plank of wood and his right leg fell through the bottom of the boat. Jack fell down onto his left knee while his right leg was submerged, and started to panic because the sharks were still in the water, Salazar and his crew were charging at him, the boat was sinking, and he couldn't move.

"Bugger," Jack said, and then he started to look around for something he could use to get out of this. Looking down at what was left of the deck, Jack noticed a long rope that had a grappling hook at the end of it, and then he smiled because he had just gotten another idea.

Jack grabbed the hook, and then turned around to face the back of the boat. Suddenly, the tiger shark had leapt onto the back of the boat and started to rapidly clamp its jaw down, while Jack swung the hook at it to keep it at bay, mocking it by saying, "Is that all you got, beastie!?"

The shark opened up its mouth wide, and Jack managed to stick in the hook between its teeth. Jack then grabbed hold of the oar and smacked the shark in the face, causing it to fall back into the water with the hook still in its mouth. Jack smiled, because this is exactly what he wanted. Salazar was closing in on him, but he wouldn't be a problem for long.

The tiger shark began speeding away from the boat, and with haste Jack tied the end of the rope to the front of the boat. As the shark began to swim away, it pulled on the rope and began to drag the boat along with it. Salazar had gotten close enough and was prepared to decapitate Jack with a single strike from his sword, but Jack ducked out of the way at the last second and the boat had begun to pull away. Salazar was puzzled at what just happened, and Jack was holding onto the rope as the shark speeded forward, and he laughed as he knew he had the edge.

However, Jack stopped laughing when he saw Henry swimming directly ahead of him, and if he continued going in the same direction, the shark would surely get him. Quickly, Jack yanked on the rope, causing the shark to divert away from Henry, and Henry looked behind him to see Jack coming in on the boat. Jack grabbed onto Henry and pulled him in, and continued letting the shark pull them closer to shore. Once the water had become shallow enough, the shark took a right turn to get back into deeper water, and the boat turned sharply on the dragging rope. Both men screamed as their boat came closer to shore, and then they were both thrown out as the boat crashed into the shore and was scattered into pieces.

Jack and Henry tumbled on the sand for a brief moment before coming to rest on the dry land. Pintel and Ragetti had managed to evade the shark and landed ashore, getting out and heading towards where the others were.

Carina lifted her head when she heard the war cry, and she turned her neck to see the undead Spanish crew rushing towards the shore.

"Wh- what?" Carina stammered in fear. This wasn't possible. These men were ashen, missing vital body parts, and running on water. Their distorted figures horrified Carina, and she began to pant heavily as she tried to come up with some rational explanation. But there was none to be found. Carina was wrong; the supernatural existed after all. It was the most horrifying thing she'd ever seen.

Pintel and Ragetti froze in place when the saw the Spanish, and Henry backed up when he saw them as well.

Jack groaned as he flipped himself to lay on his back, and then he put his hands behind him to push himself off the ground. When he did, his eyes widened in fear to see Salazar standing directly in front of him, his ghostly crew standing by his sides. Jack started to panic, looking at Salazar's ghastly features. There was enough of him left for Jack to recognize that this was the same man from all those years ago, but it was a horrifying sight to look at. He used his sword as a crutch, the left side of his head was missing, his dark hair flowed in the air like it were underwater, his face was cracked and pale, and there was black blood dripping from his mouth, which itself was broken into an evil grin.

"Hi, Jack Sparrow," Salazar wheezed, his thick Spanish accent sending a chill down the pirate's spine, "Long time, no see, no?"

Jack panicked, and then he quickly drew out one of his pistols and fired a bullet right at him. Salazar stumbled back a few steps, and then he laughed, "I almost felt that one."

Jack's breath started to pick up, and then he dropped the gun as he backed up some more, weakly uttering "S-Salazar? Armando Salazar? You're dead!"

"I know I am," Salazar replied with a hint of glee to his voice, "You killed me, remember? 'Tis only fair that I return the courtesy."

Jack's started to pant heavily, backing up even more, and Salazar and his men continued to walk forward from the shallows of the water. However, all of them stopped walking when two men had walked out onto the sand, both of them screaming out in pain as they suddenly disappeared into nothing but ash. Afterwards, all of the Spanish walked back towards where the water was.

Salazar looked at where his men had died, shock in his eyes, and then he said "Miguel... Rodrigo... no..."

Salazar then returned his gaze to Jack, and his anger rose again "You killed my men, you _bastardo_!"

Carina backed up in horror as she saw the undead Spanish collapse into dust, and then stammered out, "G- g- g- ghosts!"

Salazar was poised to strike at Jack with his rapier, but Jack, his nerves easing up, raised a finger and said "I wouldn't be doing that if I were you, mate. You lot are unable to step on land!"

Carina had gotten up from where she was, continuing to stare at the Spanish, and then shouted "GHOSTS! AAAAAHHHH!"

She began to make for the tropical forest beyond the shore, screaming as she ran towards the trees. Henry noticed this, and picked himself off the ground and called out "Carina!"

Carina didn't stop running away, but Henry wasn't going to let her go. Quickly, he snatched up his musket that was lying on the sand and slung it over his shoulder. As he was about to take off after her, Salazar's voice spoke up, saying "Henry, my boy, I'm very disappointed in you."

Henry turned around to face Salazar, and he continued, saying "I asked you to find Sparrow, and then you help him. Now you will share his fate."

"That would be the case if you could step on land," Jack inserted, and Salazar glared daggers at him. Henry didn't linger and began taking off towards the forest after Carina.

"You may have won today, Jack Sparrow," Salazar threatened, "But you will soon pay for what you did to me."

"I'd like to see you try," Jack replied with confidence, getting up off the ground and holstering his pistol. It only occurred to him then that his hat was missing, and he looked around to see it lying on the ground near him. Picking it up, he placed it upon his head, and then turned to face Salazar again and said "I do wish we could chat longer, but me map's just run away. Gentlemen, you ghastly lot of Iberian cutthroats, this is the day you shall always remember as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow... again!"

Upon finishing his statement, Jack began taking off towards where Henry and Carina were going, and the Spanish then noticed Pintel and Ragetti standing ashore.

"We're not with them," Pintel explained with a nervous laugh, "We're just here to... um..."

"We're here for my cousin's wedding!" Ragetti finished for him, and then the pair of them started to head into the forest.

* * *

Back on the _Silent Mary,_ Salazar had Barbossa and his men strung up by their ankles from the rigging, and then said, "In the name of the King of _Espana,_ I sentence you all to death!"

Salazar then gutted one of Barbossa's men. While he was continuing to kill Barbossa's men, Murtogg and Mullroy began to speak to each other.

"I think we should tell each other where our treasures are buried, just in case one of us survives this."

"Ooh, good idea."

"You go first."

"My treasure is buried beneath two crossed palm trees in an unmarked grave in Aruba. What about yours?"

"I haven't got any."

Murtogg looked at Mullroy with confusion, but their conversation was interrupted with Salazar addressing Barbossa saying "You promised that I would have Sparrow's blood!"

"Aye, I promised you that I would bring you to Jack Sparrow, and I upheld my end of the deal!" Barbossa argued.

"You promised me that I would have Sparrow's life at sunrise after three days, and he's _still_ alive!" Salazar shouted at the pirate.

"But Jack be trapped on that island! He has no way off!" Barbossa argued further.

"We can't step on land! I lost two good men today!" Salazar continued, gutting another pirate.

"Then I'll make you a new deal," Barbossa offered, "Me men and meself will go ashore and bring Jack to you, and afterwards you can let us go! I swear it, on me honor!"

" _Honor!?"_ Salazar shouted, "What honor, _hombre?_ What honor? What would a pirate like you know of honor? You don't know what honor is!"

Salazar was poised to strike down Barbossa himself, but that's when he heard it.

"Wait! Do you hear that?" Barbossa motioned for Salazar to stop, and he did so. Afterwards, he listened out for whatever Barbossa was talking about, and he heard it too. Salazar walked over to the port side of the Mary to see six ships in the distance, military ships bearing the Union Jack, with fifers playing _British Grenadiers_ as they sailed.

"It be the Royal Navy, Captain Salazar," Barbossa added, "They must've tracked down Jack."

Salazar was skeptical of this, and then he saw the six warships land on the shores of the island, not noticing the _Mary,_ and about a battalion of Redcoats exited the ships with Captain Scarfield at the front.

Salazar cursed under his breath, and then he walked back over to Salazar and said "Bring Sparrow to me... _alive..._ before the British get to him first."

"So we have an accord?" Barbossa inquired, and then Salazar cut the rope binding the pirate's real leg and peg-leg to the ship, causing him to fall onto the deck. His men subsequently cut the ropes off the remaining pirates, and Salazar spoke to him, saying "We have an accord, _hombre."_


	13. Hangman's Bay, Part I

Carina had been running like a bat out of hell for several seconds now. Or had it been minutes? Hours? Even she wasn't certain, but she didn't care. She didn't care if she somehow ran all the way around the world only to find herself in Madagascar. She had to keep running. She had to get as far away from the madness as she could. None of it made any sense, and she was half-convinced it was just a nightmare.

Her breathing became more strained as she kept running deeper into the tropical forest. Carina rushed through the dense vegetation with unbelievable speed, the adrenaline surging throughout her body as she felt her pulse racing and sweat forming on her brow. She was so overcome with fear that she didn't stop for anything, despite her exhausted lungs telling her otherwise.

Eventually, Carina reached a point where she couldn't go any farther, and she came to a sudden stop and placed her hand against one of the palm trees in the forest. Breathing deeply, she felt the shakiness in her legs come to her, and she began to collect her thoughts on what just happened.

She keeps telling herself that what she saw wasn't real. It was a figment of her imagination, nothing more. It was probably the lack of sleep she had had the past couple of nights. Maybe it was nearly getting killed multiple times that had her on edge. Maybe Henry's ghost stories were starting to get at her. Or maybe she was simply going mad.

But what she saw, those ashen and broken men, that was real. Jack had shot that one ghost and he hardly even flinched. Those two that had walked onto the beach collapsed into nothing but dust. None of it made any sense to her whatsoever. Carina was a woman of science, of knowledge and facts and absolute truths, but this defied her own understanding of things. There was no basis in logic to support the existence of ghosts, but here they were, before her very eyes. Everything that Henry had said about the supernatural was right, and Carina realized just how wrong she was for doubting him.

"Keep it together, Carina," she tells herself, closing her eyes and continuing to pant, "Everything will be fine. You're not going mad, it's just... not making sense yet. Yeah, that's right."

Carina opened her eyes and began to take in her surroundings. Turning herself in a circle, all she could see were the palm trees, their bright green leaves indistinguishable from one to the next. She didn't know how far she had ran, which direction she had come from, or how to get back.

"Oh no," Carina uttered, realizing she was lost. She had no idea where Jack and Henry were, and she was in the middle of the forest on some island she didn't know the name of, being chased by ghosts, exhausted, and wearing nothing but her soaking-wet knickers.

A thought occurred to her, and she quickly reached down to the pouch tied to her leg to check the inside contents. Fortunately enough, the chronometer and the ruby were still safely inside, but Galileo's diary was missing. She had given it to Henry back on the _Gull,_ and he probably still had it with him. Carina wouldn't need the diary any further to find the Trident, but she wanted it back. She wasn't prepared to lose the only thing she had from her father, aside from her name of course.

"Henry!" Carina called out, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice, "Jack! The stubby one and his friend with the glass eye whose names escape me! Can anyone hear me?"

She listened carefully, but she heard no response, not even faintly. Exactly how far did she run?

"Henry! Jack!" she continued to call out as she started to walk forward. Carina observed her surroundings further and saw nothing but endless green. Getting out of this forest would be almost impossible, and she couldn't afford to lose any more time. The pathway to the Trident of Poseidon would be gone in two days.

She continued to call out to Henry and Jack, but she didn't hear anything. After a few minutes of doing this, she stopped calling out to them and crossed her arms and started to rub them to keep warm.

After a few more minutes of walking, Carina came through a particularly dense piece of the jungle to come across an open clearing. It seemed odd to her because most of the way had been difficult to navigate with all the vegetation, but now there was a clearing in the shape of a large circle with dead leaves littering the ground.

Carina eyed the ground curiously for a few moments, but then decided that maybe she was just being paranoid and continued walking forward.

Suddenly, she felt something grip itself tightly around her right ankle, and Carina looked down to see that her foot had been caught in what looked like a snare.

"What the- AAAAAHHHHH!"

Carina felt the sudden jolt of the rope ascending, and she was lifted upward at a rapid rate until she was suspended high above the ground, dangling from one foot.

Feeling the blood rush to her head, Carina saw that the world had flipped upside down and started to panic.

"Henry! Jack! Anyone!" Carina shouted, "Somebody help me!"

But no one was there to hear her.

"Oh, this is perfect," she mutters to herself, "Just absolutely perfect. Could things get any worse?"

She turned her head to observe her surroundings, and she gasped when she saw that there was a skeleton that was also suspended by one foot dangling a few feet away from her. Carina figured he had to have been a pirate, for his attire suggested as much.

"Yep, things are worse," Carina remarked. How was she going to get out of _this_ one?

* * *

"Carina!" Henry called out, holding onto the strap keeping his musket slung on his shoulder, "Carina, where are you?"

Jack had caught up with Henry and started to walk alongside him as they pressed deeper into the forest.

"Carina!" Henry shouted out again, and then he quickly glanced at Jack and asked "Where could she have gone?"

Jack merely chuckled at Henry's concern, and Henry, perplexed, asked him "What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Jack replied with a smile, "Only that if I had any doubts you were Will Turner's boy before, they're gone now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Henry inquired.

"From when I knew your father, all he would do is go on and on about your mother. 'Elizabeth this' and 'Elizabeth that.' It was rather touching actually," Jack commented.

"What does this have to do with me?" Henry asked, to which Jack replied "Admit it, you're absolutely _smitten_ with Carina."

"I told you before that I'm not," Henry argued, stepping over an exposed root in the ground, "We need her to find the Trident, and I need the Trident to free my father. Nothing more."

"Listen, mate," Jack said, putting his hand on Henry's shoulder and the both of them stopping in place. Henry turned to face Jack, and the pirate continued, taking his hand off the boy's shoulder and saying, "Your ambitions in life shouldn't be limited to breaking Will's curse."

"But he's my father. Why shouldn't I be trying to free him?" Henry asked.

"I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't. Believe me, I think it's grand that you're going to great lengths to save him," Jack elaborated, "But I don't think he would want you to waste away your life trying to do right by him and not doing right by yourself. He would've wanted you to pursue your own treasures, be a free spirit and such."

"Except I'm not selfish," Henry responded firmly, "I care about my family, not plunder and riches."

Jack chuckled again, seeing the classic Turner naïveté seeping through, and then responded back with "Like I told your father many years ago, not all treasure is silver and gold. I'm talking about the unscratchable itch."

"What? Love?" Henry inquired.

"No, scabies," Jack deadpanned, "Of course I'm talking about love. Your father loved your mother, just like you love Carina."

"How many times do I have to say it? I am _not_ in love with Carina," Henry sternly replied, "What would you know about love, anyway? You're a pirate, right? Your love is the sea."

Jack tensed up for a moment, Henry's words stinging his mind.

"You're wrong about that, Henry," Jack replied, his demeanor turning serious for a moment, "I know damn well what love is. It's something that you never let go once you've grabbed hold of it. You'd do well to remember that, savvy?"

Jack turned away from him and kept walking forward. As much as he wanted to say otherwise, Henry knew that Jack was right to an extent. He did feel something for Carina, but he felt it could hardly be described as love. After all, he had only known her for a few days. That wasn't enough time to discern whether he actually cared for her or not. Still, Jack had a point. He's wiser than he appears, and he has this way of reading into people and understanding what it is they're thinking. And from what he had seen of Jack over the past few days, he seems to have been through a lot. Maybe when this was all over he could ask what was bothering him so much, and finally get some clarification as to what the old man aboard the _Monarch_ meant about Jack being "long gone."

Henry, though concerned with whatever was on Jack's mind, dropped the subject and continued onward, calling out Carina's name some more. He hoped nothing bad had happened to her.

* * *

Carina had been hanging upside down for a few minutes, and there was still no sign of Henry or Jack. The blood rushing to her head was beginning to make her feel dizzy, and she knew she needed to find a way down soon. The rope was too tight for her to untie, so she tried to come up with other solutions.

"Okay, think Carina, think," Carina said aloud, trying to walk herself through her escape, "I can't untie the rope, so I'll need to cut it. But there's nothing I have that's sharp so-"

A thought popped into her head, and she turned over to look at the dead pirate hanging by his ankle. Carina looked closely at his belt and saw that there was a sword sitting in a scabbard attached.

"I can use that sword!" Carina exclaimed, her hopes shooting up. She wondered briefly why the pirate didn't attempt to cut himself down, but she looked at his bare skull to see a circular crack in his forehead, probably from a bullet wound.

Now Carina was presented with another problem. How was she supposed to reach the sword on his belt if she was strung up several feet away from him? She quickly found the answer when she began to shake herself in place and noticed the line of rope was loose enough to allow her to swing. That's it! She would use herself as a pendulum to swing over to the pirate, grab his sword, and cut the rope!

Carina, smirking at her own cleverness, wrapped her free leg around the one that was bound, and began to swing herself back and forth in the direction of the skeleton. She continued to do this, building up as much momentum as she could, until she felt she was close enough to start reaching for the sword. When she felt she had built up enough momentum, Carina outstretched her right hand so she could grab onto the sword's handle, but to no avail; she swung back the other way. She tried again, swinging back towards the skeleton with both arms outstretched, one to grab onto the body, and the other to grab onto the sword. This too failed, and she swung back the other way.

"You can do this," Carina tells herself. She had faith that she would get out of this.

She swung back towards the skeleton again, and this time she was able to wrap her left arm around the skeleton so she could hold herself in place, and she managed to grab onto the sword's handle with her right hand and drew it out from the scabbard.

"Yes!" Carina exclaimed, satisfied that now she had the sword in her hands. Her mother had always said that she was a clever girl. Now she could get out of this mess.

Her moment of victory was interrupted when she let go of the pirate's skeleton, and the rope holding him suddenly snapped and the body fell down onto the ground. While this came as a bit of a shock to Carina, she maintained a firm grip on the sword's handle and started to use the blade as a saw against the rope. While she was cutting through it, it never occurred to Carina that once the rope was cut she was going to fall onto the ground as well. When she had cut through enough rope and heard the remaining fibers snap, her eyes widened at this realization.

"Oh," Carina uttered simply, and when the rope broke she started to scream as she fell down onto the ground on her back.

Carina groaned for a moment, feeling the pain in her spine and the back of her skull. That fall must've been twenty feet at least. She considered herself fortunate she wasn't already dead.

"What is my life coming to?" Carina remarked to no one in particular.

Groaning, Carina got up off her back and fell onto her knees, placing her palms against the ground and breathing in through her nose for a moment. When she finished, she stood up and looked at the remains of the pirate lying on the ground next to her. What was odd was that even though the skeletal remains suggest he's been dead for a while, his clothes were still in relatively good condition (for a pirate). He had on a shirt that was white that was slightly tinted yellow, a dark brown vest, light tan pants, and plain black boots. From what Carina could tell, the clothes looked like they were small enough that they could fit on her.

Upon recognizing her own thoughts, Carina scoffed and turned away. It was a silly thought anyway. She wasn't about to put on a pirate's clothes, nevermind ones that belonged to a dead man.

But at the same time, she looked at herself and saw that she was still standing in her knickers. Her dress was most likely gone by this point. She felt a chill run along her spine from the water still on her, and Carina began to rub her arms again trying to keep warm.

She looked over her shoulder to see the pirate's remains and the clothes adorning it.

"Ugh, fine," she says aloud, walking over to the skeleton and removing the clothes from it. Once she had done so, Carina put on the pants, shirt, vest, and boots (which took a few minutes of struggling to get on) in order, and secured the belt with the scabbard attached to it to her waist. She picked up the sword from the ground and sheathed it, and then she fixed her hair before she set out again.

Carina inhaled through her nose, and her face scrunched up as the dead man's odor still lingered.

"It'll only be temporary," she says, trying to justify the stench to herself.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she continued onward through the forest. She eventually happened upon a spring, and Carina realized just how thirsty she was. She quickly darted over to the water and began cupping her hands and bringing the cool liquid to her mouth. She continued to do this until she felt her thirst had been satisfied, and then she stopped when she saw her own reflection in the water. Her hair was a mess, she had a scar beneath her eye, and she was wearing the clothes off the back of a dead man. Carina thought she looked absolutely ridiculous, almost like she was a pirate herself. Out of defiance, she splashed the water in front of her and watched the ripples distort her image. Once she saw this, she got up from where she was and continued on her way, hoping she could find Henry and Jack soon.

* * *

"Oi, where be Captain Jack?" Pintel asked Ragetti as they used their swords to cut through the thick forest, "Didn't he run in just before us?"

"Yeah. He must've gone ahead. Probably wants to get as far away from Salazar as possible," Ragetti answered, "You ever think about how many of these things we've done, Pin?"

"What do you mean?" Pintel inquired.

"Here we are again, on another adventure with ol' Jack, tryin' to find an item of great power while some form of cursed beings try to kill him. Seems a little repetitive at this point, dunnit?" Ragetti elaborated.

"You do have a point there," Pintel commented, "And we were on that side of cursed beings trying to kill him at one point, heh. God, does time fly."

The two friends laughed as they continued onward, but they stopped laughing when they heard shouts coming from behind them.

"Lieutenant! Have your men cover every inch of those forests! I want those pirates _dead!"_

Pintel and Ragetti froze in place, and gave each other nervous glances.

"Those don't sound like no Spanish to me," Ragetti gulped.

"No it don't. How's about we try to find the _Gull_ a little quicker, eh?" Pintel suggested.

"Good idea," Ragetti concurred, and the two of them started to pick up the pace before the British spotted them.

* * *

Jack and Henry continued to walk forward, having moved on from their previous conversation to a comparatively lighter one.

"...and then they made me their chief," Jack finished. Henry was amused with Jack's ability to tell a story, but those feelings were cut off by the sounds of shouts and feet trampling from behind him. Henry turned around and saw at least a dozen Redcoats rushing towards them in the distance.

"Jack!" Henry called out, and Jack turned around to see the soldiers coming closer.

"How did they find us?" Jack inquired.

"They must've tracked us from St. Martin!" Henry shouted.

"Quickly! Find cover!" Jack shouted, and he and Henry took cover behind two nearby trees. As the Redcoats drew closer, Jack pulled out the pistol that he emptied on Salazar and began to load another cartridge, and while he did so he looked over at Henry, who in turn was looking right back at him. When he'd finished loading his pistol, Jack pulled out his other pistol and gave Henry a nod, and Henry knew that this was the moment Jack was talking about. He removed the musket from his shoulder and gripped it with two hands, his breath starting to pick up as he pulled back the hammer with his thumb. He had never killed anyone before, and now he was about to face off against his former comrades.

"Henry," Jack said, and Henry looked over at him, "You're going to be fine, you hear me?"

Henry nodded, but he wasn't sure if he agreed. He breathed deeply to get his nerves down.

Jack made the first move, stepping out from behind the tree and firing off his pistols, taking down two of the approaching Redcoats.

"Pirates in the treeline! Open fire!" a soldier shouted, and musket shots rang out and hit the wood of the trees that Jack and Henry were standing behind. Jack began to reload his pistols, and shot a glance over to Henry that said that he needed cover. Obediently, Henry quickly stepped out from behind cover, took aim, and fired his shot, hitting a soldier in his gut.

He fell down onto the ground screaming in pain for a few moments before he died, and Henry stood there in shock, realizing what he had done, time seeming to have frozen in place. He had just killed a man. He took his life with just a pull of the trigger. That was all it took as he reduced a man, somebody's son, to nothing more than a dead body. Jack was right; killing a man is not what he thought it would be like.

Time resumed, and Henry stepped back behind the tree, a shot narrowly missing his head. Quickly, Jack fired a shot off and hit the soldier that almost hit Henry.

"How're you holding up!?" Jack asked.

"I'll manage!" Henry said, his hands trembling as he struggled to reload his weapon.

"Listen, we can't stay here for long! We're gonna have to make a run for it! Once we've finished reloading, I'll fire off a shot and you take off running! Don't worry, mate, I got you covered!"

Henry didn't respond, preoccupied with ramming his ramrod into the barrel of the musket and the fact that he'd become a murderer. Once he'd finished, Jack fired off a shot from his pistol and Henry took off running, firing another shot that he wasn't sure hit anything. Jack fired his other shot at the Redcoats as he took off running after Henry.


	14. Hangman's Bay, Part II

"Steady as she goes, boys!" Gibbs called out as he steered the _Gull_ around the outer perimeter of the island. Cotton and Marty had released the foresails, but it was difficult to manage the fore and aft lines with just two people crewing it (one of them being a dwarf) despite the ship's diminutive size.

Soon, a gust of wind came blowing hard against the _Gull,_ causing the ship to rock violently because of the sails that were loosened. Gibbs struggled to keep the ship in one consistent direction because the wind was only getting stronger and the ship more cumbersome.

"Give me less sail! Step lively, lads!" Gibbs ordered, and Cotton and Marty started to climb the rigging to tie down the sails, "Reef the foresails!"

As Cotton and Marty made an effort to tie the foresails down to reduce the pressure of the winds, Cotton's parrot was flying through the air and squawked "Shiver me timbers!"

Another sharp gust of wind blew against the ship, rocking it further. This motion caused Marty to lose his grip on the beam that he and Cotton were on and he started to fall off, but Cotton reached out and grabbed onto his arm at the last second.

"Much obliged!" Marty thanked the mute as he hoisted him back up onto the beam. Cotton nodded and they resumed tying the foresails down.

However, another sharp gust of wind blew against the _Gull_ , and Gibbs struggled to keep the ship straight. They had to reach the other end of the island so they could pick up Jack and the others on time.

By the time they had reached their destination, yet another sharp wind blew against the pirate ship, and it was too strong for Gibbs to counteract it. He tried hard to steer the ship against the pressure of the wind, but what happened was that the rudder chain ended up snapping from the force being exerted upon it. The _Gull_ was at the mercy of the winds, and they blew the ship right into the shallows of the island and it ended up crashing onto the beach. Gibbs collapsed onto the deck from the crash, and both Marty and Cotton fell from the beams onto the deck and groaned in pain.

"Everyone alright?" Gibbs asked, getting up off the ground using the _Gull's_ wheel as support.

"We're fine," Marty answered, picking himself up, "I think we've run aground."

"You don't say?" Gibbs replied sarcastically. Afterwards, all three pirates got off the _Gull_ so they could inspect the damage and do what they could to get the ship back in the water. But by the time they got down onto the beach, they saw massive breaches in the bow and the stern. The _Dying Gull_ wasn't going anywhere.

"This looks to be a problem, gentlemen," Gibbs made note.

" _Now_ how are we supposed to get out of here?" Marty complained.

"We'll worry about that later," Gibbs told the dwarf, "Right now we need to find Jack and the others."

The pirates retrieved their weapons and possessions from the _Gull,_ and made their way into the tropical forest to find Captain Jack.

"RAWK! Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!" Cotton's parrot squawked.

* * *

Barbossa and his men had made it to shore, and they formed a tight group so that they could best defend themselves in the event they came across any British soldiers. Barbossa was leading the group at the front, brandishing the Sword of Triton in his right hand and pacing quickly with his blunderbuss cane in his left hand. Murtogg and Mullroy flanked him, their own swords and pistols drawn, volunteering to serve as their captain's vanguard in their search for Jack Sparrow.

"So the plan is to find Captain Sparrow and then bring him back to Salazar, yes?" Mullroy asked Barbossa.

"Aye, that be the plan, Mr. Mullroy," Barbossa replied, but as he continued walking along, he wasn't sure if he could follow through. Part of him still had reservations about pursuing Jack, despite all the bad blood between the two of them over the years. Nevertheless, he would do as he was requested by Salazar, because Barbossa knew that this was the only way he would be able to live through the Spaniard's wrath and keep his control over the seas, just like he had always dreamed of. Besides, if it were the other way around Jack would do the same to him, right?

"But sir, forgive my asking, but what makes you think that Salazar will keep his word that he won't kill us?" Murtogg inquired.

"I don't," Barbossa told him honestly. He didn't know if he could trust Salazar to uphold his end of the bargain, for he and what was left of his crew had only managed to escape through pure luck of the Royal Navy arriving when they did. Still, he had to maintain confidence in his decisions for the sake of his crew, and continued "But Captain Salazar is a man of honor, and he will honor his end of the deal if we bring him Sparrow."

"But we're pirates," Mullroy inserted, "What's to stop him from killing us all?"

"I've considered that already, gents," Barbossa answered, "Considered the possibility that Salazar will have our guts for garters once he gets what he wants. But all we can do right now is do as he says. It be the only way we can ensure we survive what's to come."

Murtogg and Mullroy both exchanged worried glances with each other, but nevertheless did as their captain commanded as they trekked deeper into the forest.

* * *

Musket in hand, Henry ran through the forest with the speed of a cheetah away from the Redcoats. Jack was following closely behind as the both of them tried to avoid the shots being fired at them as they ran. Henry was still numb with emotion after having killed for the first time, and so he didn't feel winded in the least bit after so much running. The adrenaline was surging throughout his body as he struggled to keep himself together while trying not to get shot.

Jack, on the other hand, did not have the energy of the young Turner. He struggled for breath as he tried to keep the pace with Henry, but his legs and lungs would simply not allow it. He never remarked it aloud, but Jack hated getting old and not being the spry younger man he had once been.

"After those pirates!" one of the soldiers had shouted.

Jack did a double take and observed the soldiers chasing them, and he took notice that the one Royal Navy officer from St. Martin, Captain Scarfield, was among them. The British officer held his sword in hand as he kept the pace with his troops, and Jack could see in his eyes a very raw sort of ambition that reminded him of another officer he once knew, but Scarfield looked to possess none of that man's nobler qualities.

And then it occurred to Jack that he had not given thought to James Norrington in twenty years.

"Fire at will!" Scarfield shouted at his men, and the few that had their weapons loaded started popping off shots at Jack and Henry. The two ducked their heads down to evade the incoming fire.

Jack raised his head up a moment to see a diverging path in the woods ahead, one left and one right, and then with haste made his way up to run alongside Henry and said "Split up! Divide their attention!"

Henry looked over at Jack with a perplexed expression. If they got split up then it would be almost impossible to find each other again in this forest, "But Jack-"

"Henry, just do it!" Jack shouted, and when they came to the point where the path in the woods diverged, Henry took off on the right path while Jack took the left.

Scarfield and his troops came to a halt in the intersection. Quickly, he darted his head left and right, deciding on who to pursue.

"Lieutenant! Take half the squad and go after the boy!" Scarfield ordered, "The rest of you, follow me! The pirate's mine!"

Scarfield and six of his troops took off towards the path Jack was heading down, while the rest went after Henry.

* * *

Henry kept on running, panting heavily as he weaved his way around the trees and exposed roots along his path. He could still hear the Redcoats pursuing him, and he was even more terrified now that he was all alone without Jack for support. He was outnumbered, outgunned, and even if he did manage to lose the soldiers currently pursuing him, Henry didn't know if he'd ever find Jack through all this forest again. Since the both of them had been searching for Carina all morning with no luck, He was wondering just how big this island really was. In fact, what even is the _name_ of the island?

Henry had no time to ponder these questions as he kept avoiding the incoming shots of the Redcoats. He knew he couldn't keep running forever, so he had to make another stand. After running through a thicket of dense leaves, breaking the line of sight of the British for a few moments, Henry came across a small, shallow creek that ran horizontal from where he was, with a small waterfall coming down the modestly-sized rock wall to his left. Directly across the creek bed, a fallen tree was lying on the ground along the way of the creek, and Henry suddenly got an idea. He quickly darted over to the log, stepping through the creek water with haste, and leapt over the log and rolled onto the ground behind it, landing on his stomach. As he did so, Henry heard the sounds of muskets firing and covered his head with his arms as the balls struck the fallen tree. Collecting himself, he quickly got off of his stomach and sat with his back against the log as he prepared to load another cartridge into his rifle. As he did, Henry saw that he only had four shots left on his person, so he had to make them count.

After he finished loading his gun, Henry quickly popped out from behind his position of cover and quickly scanned the surrounding area for a hint of red. His finger rested on the trigger as his eyes rapidly darted from left to right, trying to locate a hostile. Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw a Redcoat pop out from behind the tree, and without a second's hesitation Henry thumbed back the hammer, aimed small, exhaled deeply, and fired off his shot at the soldier, who was struck by the bullet and fell to the ground dead.

The second time was considerably easier than the first.

"Sergeant!" Henry heard one of the soldiers shout, and he quickly ducked back behind cover as he prepared to reload.

"Over the creek bed! To the right! To the right!" another one shouted, but by then Henry had loaded another shot, peeked up again, and fired, killing another man.

It kept getting easier, but the more he did it the worse he felt.

"Behind the log!" the lieutenant leading them shouted, "Fire at will!"

Henry knew his position was compromised, so he quickly ran out from behind the log and over to an adjacent tree. He loaded his gun yet again, and saw that there were only three men left, two soldiers and the officer. He stepped out from behind the tree and fired another shot, striking and killing the officer, leaving only the two soldiers left. As Henry reloaded, he realized that he only had one shot left, so he would have to get up close if he wanted to stop them from pursuing him further.

"Kill that bastard!" one of the soldiers shouted, and Henry stepped out from behind the tree and fired off his shot quicker than before, and in his haste he failed to kill either of the two soldier but managed to wound one in his left shoulder, causing him to fall onto the ground and his hat to come off.

Now that he was out of ammunition, Henry knew that close-quarters combat would have to be employed. He ran out from behind the tree and started to charge across the creek at the last soldier standing. The soldier fired at Henry, but missed as he drew closer to him. Henry raised the butt of his gun and attempted to strike at the soldier, but the soldier was prepared and blocked his incoming attack with the barrel of his own musket. After recovering from the attack, the soldier attempted to pierce Henry with his bayonet, but the young Turner quickly managed to avoid his blow before it could prove fatal. The soldier recoiled, bringing his weapon back up for another strike, but Henry was prepared this time and parried the attack. More parries and strikes ensued, the two men continuously fighting each other as the soldier forced Henry against the back of a tree, pinning him to where he stood as their muskets grinded against each other. The two locked eyes with gritting teeth and their audible grunts from exertion, before finally the soldier pulled back from the stalemate. Henry attempted to recover, but the soldier was quicker and used the delayed recovery to strike at Henry's weapon, causing the gun to fly from his hands.

The soldier looked right at the now-defenseless Henry and prepared to pierce his chest with his bayonet. Time slowed down in that moment, and thinking quickly, Henry ducked down beneath the soldier's strike, reached into a hidden sheathe in his left boot, and pulled out a knife. He quickly raised the knife, got behind the soldier, and stabbed him in the back.

The soldier let out a small grunt of pain as he fell to the ground dead, and Henry pulled the knife out. Once the soldier fell to the ground, Henry took notice of the now-bloody knife. It was a black knife of a simple design, and it had been a gift from his father for his tenth birthday. He said that it had belonged to Henry's grandfather before he gave it to Will, and that it would be passed down from father to son yet again. Henry never once thought he would actually need to use it for anything, even when his father insisted he keep it with him for self-defense.

Henry's thought-process was cut short when he heard the noise of a man yelling from behind him, and he turned to see the wounded soldier had gotten up off the ground and was prepared to strike at him with a detached bayonet. Eyes widening in fear, Henry dodged the sharp weapon and backed up from where he was, raising his own knife in a defensive position.

The soldier had a look of pure rage in his eyes, as he too raised his bayonet in a defensive stance. The two men stood still for a moment, waiting for the other to make a move, until finally the soldier attempted to swing his weapon at Henry, who narrowly avoided each blow. After ducking from a strike at his head, Henry started to swing back, missing the soldier by centimeters. He continued to do so until the soldier caught his arm, pulled him close, and head-butted him, causing Henry to lose his balance and fall into the creek bed, getting water all over his back.

As Henry attempted to prop himself on his hands so he could get up, he looked forward to see that the soldier was now pointing a pistol at him (presumable belonging to the now-deceased officer), and a sneer was formed upon his face. Henry's eyes widened in fear as he quickly scooted himself backwards away from the soldier, but he kept going forward as he pointed the gun directly towards him. When he was about a foot away, Henry closed his eyes and turned his head away, bracing himself for what was to come.

But it never came. Instead, Henry heard an audible _thunk_ sound make impact against bone, and then he opened his eyes to see Pintel and Ragetti, swords brandished, standing before him, with what looked like Pintel using the hilt of his sword to hit the soldier on the back of his skull causing him to fall unconscious.

"'Ello, chum," Pintel greeted with a smile, which Henry wasn't certain if it was sincere or not, "Figured you could use a hand."

"I think I was managing quite alright on my own, thanks," Henry replied sarcastically. Pintel offered his hand and Henry took it, pulling the boy onto his feet.

"Sure you were," Pintel replied, "Now you owe us one, mate."

"Actually, two if you count the hanging," Ragetti inserted.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Pintel realized, "Two it is."

"I'll buy you a drink when this is all over," Henry said, placing his knife back in its sheathe, "but right now, we need to find Jack."

"Wasn't he with you?" Ragetti asked.

"We got separated, there were too many Redcoats," Henry answered, picking his musket off the ground and grabbing a cartridge box off of one of the soldiers, "Jack could be anywhere on this island."

Suddenly, there was rustling in the vegetation surrounding them. Henry, Pintel, and Ragetti looked rapidly around them to see what was coming, and it seemed to be coming from all sides. With no discernable escape route, the three of them stood together back-to-back, with Pintel and Ragetti holding their swords firmly and Henry pointing his rifle forward. Their eyes kept darting to the bushes all around them, anticipating any threat that may come.

"More British?" Pintel asked.

"Don't think so," Ragetti responded.

All at once, at least a dozen or more figures emerged from the vegetation, wearing ragged clothing and armed with various assortments of swords and guns. It wasn't British soldiers or Salazar's ghost crew, but they seemed no less a threat. These men looked to be pirates of their own sort.

"Jack?" a voice spoke in a deep Irish accent, "As in... Jack Sparrow?"

"Captain!" Henry, Pintel, and Ragetti shouted at the same time.

"Please, I don't want ta make a mess o' things, so I'm gonna ask ye fellers once to lay down ya arms, alrighty?" the voice spoke again, seemingly belonging to their leader.

After a moment's hesitation, the three laid their weapons carefully on the ground, and some of the pirates came and snatched them from where they lay.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes!" the Irish voice spoke again, and the three turned their heads to see a balding middle-aged man with a red beard pointing a pistol at them, "Jack Sparrow, the biggest con and swindler across these seven seas. He owes me a plunder o' silver, ya see. Life's harder when ya don't have the coin ta live it well."

"Who are you?" Henry asked.

"Me manners, I sincerely apologize," the Irishman said, taking a bow, "Pig Kelly's the name, and welcome to Hangman's Bay."

Before Henry, Pintel, or Ragetti could really process what Kelly had said, some of his men had come forward and knocked the three men unconscious.


	15. Hangman's Bay, Part III

Jack continued to run away from the British troops hot on his tail, attempting to break their line of sight. He ran through as thick of canopy as he could find, hoping it would confuse them long enough for him to find a place to hide. After running through a particularly dense thicket, he quickly took cover behind a nearby tree and crossed his fingers in hope that they wouldn't see him.

"Nothing to see here but a lonely, lonely palm tree," Jack speaks to himself for no discernable reason, "A nice, green, non-verbal palm tree and I'm talking to myself again. Bugger."

Jack hears footsteps drawing nearer, but he doesn't dare poke his head out to take a look. Meanwhile, Scarfield and his troops were scouting the area, trying to see wherever Jack could've gone. Scarfield himself has his sword drawn, cutting through as much of the canopy as possible. He has a fire in his eyes, determined to find Jack and punish him for the humiliation back in St. Martin.

As one of the soldiers combs the area for any sign of Jack, he looks in every possible direction to no avail. After a few more moments pass, the soldier turns his head to the right, and before him stands Barbossa and his men, just as shocked to see him as he was.

"PIRATES!" he screams at the top of his lungs, "PIRATES ON THE PATH-"

Barbossa raises his blunderbuss cane and fires at the soldier before he can finish his statement, blowing him back several feet. At the sound of the thunder-like gunshot, the other soldiers turn their attention to the pirates and begin to run towards them, Scarfield at the rear.

"Retreat, boys! Take cover!" Barbossa orders, and he and his men quickly hasten to take cover from the remaining British soldiers.

Jack was still standing behind the trees and therefore didn't see what happened, but he recognized that booming, West Country voice all too well. It was a sound he both loved and hated and hadn't heard it in years.

"Hector?" he asked aloud. Jack then chuckled, for now it really seemed like the past few days were some big reunion party he didn't know about. But then a pressing question formed inside his head: What was Barbossa even doing here?

The question left as soon as it had came, for Jack now realized that he had an opportunity to escape while Scarfield's men were preoccupied with Barbossa's instead of him. Carefully, he stepped out from behind the tree and began to walk away from the incursion, where Barbossa's men were starting to flee from the area while Scarfield's men were in pursuit. Jack hoped that Barbossa would be okay, but that man was no stranger to sticky situations so Jack didn't fret too much on his well-being.

As Jack was walking along, he failed to take notice of the coconut that had fallen on the ground from one of the nearby trees. Because of this negligence, when he extended his right foot to continue his venture, he stepped down on the coconut by mistake and it rolled from beneath his foot, causing Jack to lose his balance.

"EEP!" Jack squeaked as he fell onto his back. As he started to pick himself off of the ground, Scarfield heard this and stopped in place, turning his head towards the noise. Meanwhile, his men continued to pursue Barbossa without him.

Jack had lifted himself perpendicular, resting his palms against the ground as he looked at whatever caused him to trip. After scanning for a moment, he caught sight of the coconut on the ground. Raising an eyebrow, Jack picked up the coconut and started to eye it very peculiarly, like it were about to blow up in his face or something. He tossed it from one hand to the other, then sniffed it, and spoke aloud, "A coconut. Hmm."

Jack heard the sound of a gun cocking into place, and his eyes widened in surprise. He quickly turned his head to see Scarfield standing directly behind him, pointing his pistol right at his head.

"Got you now, pirate," Scarfield said through gritted teeth, whereupon Jack quickly got off the ground, still holding onto the coconut.

"Ah, well if it isn't good ol' Captain Pissant! So nice to see you again, and on such short notice too!" Jack spoke in his charismatic manner, "Did you travel all this way just to see me? I'm flattered, I truly am."

"I intend to see you hanged, Sparrow," Scarfield spat, "You and your little band of pirates are coming with me back to St. Martin."

"Oh, thank you very much for the invitation, I really appreciate it," Jack spoke with a grin upon his face, "But there's a rather long waiting list of people who want me dead at present, savvy? I think I'll have to take a raincheck on that one."

Scarfield grunted in annoyance, and then Jack, gesturing with the coconut, said "Hey! If you have the time right now, I can show you how to make my famous Coconut Rum Punch! It's a little something I picked up in Barbados, very refined in it's flavor-"

Scarfield fired his pistol towards Jack without warning. When the smoke from the end of his gun settled, Jack was standing there completely unharmed for the bullet had struck the coconut instead, made evident by the milk pouring out through a newly formed hole. Scarfield stood flabbergasted at how that shot didn't kill Jack, and Jack was eyeing the coconut oddly again. In another moment, Jack raised the coconut and let some of the draining milk pour into his mouth. Once he had finished, he resumed his gaze towards Scarfield who was still stupefied by what just transpired.

Dropping the coconut onto the ground, Jack stepped forward and gestured with both of his hands, saying, "That's not very nice."

Jack then drew out his hanger from his scabbard and stood before Scarfield with his casual demeanor still present. Upon this, Scarfield drew his own smallsword from his own scabbard and stared down Jack.

"Swords are much more elegant, don't you think?" Jack quipped, "I mean, don't take it personally, but that pistol of yours is unusually large. Is that overcompensating for something or-"

Before Jack could finish, Scarfield swung his sword towards Jack, who easily cast the enraged strike to the side. Scarfield struck again, which Jack blocked again. Three strikes in rapid succession, all blocked. But Scarfield kept pressing into his attacks, forcing Jack to back up more and more. Quick blows from Scarfield came in from above and below, and Jack had to keep up with the officer's speed to avoid being struck. But it was hard to manage for Scarfield was quite skilled when it came to swordfighting, and historically it was not Jack's strongest suit.

Scarfield kept pressing more and more, and eventually Jack had to break away so that he could formulate a plan to turn the tables on him. He looked over his right shoulder and saw a smooth, rising incline along the side of a rocky hill going very high up. He quickly resumed his attention towards Scarfield and parried another one of his attacks.

Jack then started to back up towards the incline, using Scarfield's determination against him. He kept backing up, not once striking offensively, and let Scarfield push him upward on the incline. They kept getting higher and higher until they reached the top the hill, whereupon Jack decided he should start going on the offensive. He struck towards Scarfield's legs, but that attack was blocked swiftly by the officer. Jack struck above, but that too was blocked. Still, Jack began to press into Scarfield hoping he'd eventually give way. More and more, Jack kept pushing Scarfield towards the plateau on top of the hill, which Jack now realized was a very steep drop down.

Scarfield started to fight back, striking offensively at the same time Jack did and their swords locked into place, grinding against each other. While both men struggled to maintain this hold, Jack decided to speak "You know, you're very good at this. I commend you. But trust me when I say that you can't beat me."

"Oh, I like to think that I can," Scarfield snarled.

"I dueled with Davy Jones with a broken sword on the mast of the _Flying Dutchman_ during a maelstrom," Jack stated plainly, "I'm certain that I'll win, not to brag."

The two broke away and continued exchanging quick strikes with one another. The metal from the swords tapped together in an almost rhythmic pattern as they glistened in the afternoon sun. But Jack realized that he couldn't keep this up for too much longer. He broke away again and had to start breathing heavily to overcome the exhaustion that he felt. God, he hated getting old.

Scarfield noticed he was getting tired and did not hesitate to take advantage of this knowledge. He kept swinging his sword with more power in each strike, until eventually he had Jack standing with his back towards the edge of the plateau. Jack quickly looked down behind him and saw that there was a fog that had quickly formed and clung to the air, and so he wasn't able to tell exactly how far the drop was.

Jack turned his head forward again to see that Scarfield was pointing his sword directly at his chest. A devilish grin was formed upon the officer's face, whereupon he said "Any last words, pirate?"

Jack looked down towards the fog again, and considered his options for a moment.

He looked back towards Scarfield with a calm expression on his face, sheathed his hanger back in his scabbard, smiled, and uttered, "Ta."

Jack put two fingers to his forehead with his thumb extended, and then he hopped backwards off of the cliff and started screaming.

Scarfield, shocked, rushed forward and looked over the edge to see where Jack went, but he was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Barbossa and his men had managed to evade Scarfield's men, and were now quickly trekking their way through the forest to see if they could find another way to reach Jack. Fortunately, none of his men had died, but that encounter had been too close to call. Barbossa was short-handed as it was, seeing as Salazar had killed a sizeable amount of his crew already. He couldn't afford to lose any more men.

As he and his men continued on, Barbossa started to get lost in his thoughts, something he rarely did. He had lost too much already to Salazar, and yet he was still doing the Spaniard's dirty work for him. He knew that Salazar would kill him too once he delivered Jack, that much was clear, but what Barbossa didn't know was why he had chosen to do this in the first place. He could've left well enough alone and Salazar probably would never have found him. He would've killed Jack straight away and Barbossa would've gone away unscathed.

No, Barbossa already knew the answer to that question, try as he may to tell himself otherwise. He did this for himself, without any regard for Jack, his crew, or anyone else that matter. He did this just so he could continue to have it all. The past few days had been an interesting experience for him, because he had been selfish his entire life but it was only now that he actually acknowledged it. Stranger still, he felt _remorse_ for what he'd done. All his life he wanted to be known as the most feared pirate in the Caribbean, to be surrounded with as much notoriety and gold as he could get. He swindled and murdered anyone in his way to get this power, and he finally had what he always wanted. He had control of the seas and a fortune beyond compare.

But was it worth it?

Salazar was right. As bloodthirsty and cruel as he was, he was also right. Barbossa knew nothing of honor. He had no principles that he stood by, no true respect, nothing. He had betrayed Jack enough times to prove that there wasn't a soul that cared about him, he had dishonored the code of the Brethren Court with his barbarism when he was cursed, and he murdered innocent people who did nothing more than get in his way from obtaining more, and more, and more. He had his gold and he had his glory, but all of that seemed worthless in his mind right now. At least Salazar had a cause that he lived and died for, a higher purpose that extended beyond himself. What did Barbossa have?

He couldn't dwell on this matter. He had to find another way to Jack with his men, and this island was so large it was difficult to navigate.

"Oi, Captain!" Murtogg called out from ahead, "Three figures up ahead!"

Barbossa tensed up and put a hand to the Sword of Triton, prepared to use it, but then a familiar voice called out from the distance.

"Hold your fire! We're not hostile!" the voice of Joshamee Gibbs called out from the distance. Soon he came into full view of Barbossa's crew, his arms raised, accompanied by the dwarf Marty, the mute Cotton, and the latter's parrot.

"Well, well, Master Gibbs!" Barbossa greeted with a smile, "Haven't seen ye since White Cap Bay!"

"Captain Barbossa, it's been some time indeed," Gibbs said, his voice a little more stern.

"And what ye be doin' on this island, might I inquire?" Barbossa asked.

"Right now, trying to locate Jack so we can get off," Gibbs stated bluntly, "Unfortunately, our ship crashed along the shoreline, so we're pretty much stuck here for the time being."

"One problem at a time, Gibbs," Barbossa stated, "Right now, we must find Jack before the Redcoats get their hands on him."

Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton then began to follow Barbossa's group as they continued on.

* * *

Jack had no plan for after he jumped. All he knew is that he didn't want his end to come at the hands of Scarfield of all people. He had faced a _kraken_ for Christ's sakes; he wasn't about to be done in by some overzealous snob of a soldier.

As he was falling, time seemed to slow down, and he looked quickly to see if there was anything he could grab onto, like a branch or a vine or a jagged rock or something. But there was nothing within his reach, and so he kept on falling, screaming while he did so.

Jack didn't know if he would survive this, but at least he could say that he died on his own terms.

Or not. You can't say you died on your own terms if you're not alive to say that you did.

Suddenly, Jack looked below him to see that enough of the fog had cleared for him to make out what looked like a lake beneath him. He braced himself, and then felt his body smack against the water's surface as he splashed into the lake. After letting himself lie still in the water for a moment, he pulled himself to the surface and gasped for breath.

Opening his eyes, Jack looked around him to see the surrounding environment. What was surprising was that not too far away from him looked like a campsite that was long abandoned, as evidenced by the tattered tents and untouched stone campfire circles. Jack grabbed his fallen hat and swam towards the edge of the lake, pulling himself out and standing up straight. He shook the water off of his hat and placed it back atop of his head, and then shook both his legs to get rid of some of the water that clung to his clothing.

Once that was done, Jack decided to look around the camp to see if there was anything that he could use. He checked all over the place to see if something caught his fancy, and much to his delight, he found two half-filled bottles of rum inside of the second tent, to which he smiled in glee over the lucky score. Oh, after what transpired today alone, he was totally overdue for a drink.

It just occurred to Jack afterwards that most of the day had passed already, and he could see the glow of evening begin to set in. Upon realizing it was this late already, he just hoped that Henry was okay. Will and Elizabeth would have his hide if anything were to happen to him.

Jack continued to walk through the forest, deciding to wait until he found a good spot to camp for the night to have his rum. The British were still out looking for him, and he didn't want to risk being caught off guard.

As he decided to walk between two palm trees, he suddenly stopped in place and gave a high-pitched scream when he saw something metal swing from around the corner of the tree on his left and stop at his throat, causing him to drop both bottles of rum onto the ground before him. Jack looked down at the object and saw the blade of a slightly rusted cutlass mere inches away from him. He looked to his left, expecting to find any one of the two or three parties that were trying to kill him, and much to his surprise and relief, it was a very familiar face.

"Oh, it's you!" Carina exclaimed, stepping away from the side of the tree and pulling the sword away from Jack's throat, "Sorry about that, Jack."

"No apologies necessary," Jack said, recomposing himself, and Carina sheathed her sword. After she had done so, Jack furrowed his brow when he observed that she was now wearing pirate's clothes and wondered why that was. He was about to ask her about it, but then he caught a whiff of the stench of death about her and had to avert his attention away from her as he covered his nose.

"Ugh, you smell terrible!" Jack complained, to which Carina simply crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Did you get those clothes off a dead man?"

"Yes, actually," Carina responded bluntly turning her head to observe the surrounding area, "But it's not like I have many options to choose from, now do I?"

Jack didn't respond to her statement, instead choosing to crouch down to pick up both bottles of rum from where he dropped them on the ground.

A thought occurred to Carina as she looked back towards Jack and realized that he was all alone, asking "Where's Henry?"

"Hmm?" Jack asked, standing up straight again.

"Henry, wasn't he with you?" Carina asked again, her voice sounding more worried than before.

Jack sighed, and then said, "We got separated. Apparently, our old friend Scarfield managed to track us from St. Martin, and he's none too pleased about us forgoing our executions."

Jack then began to walk forward past Carina, saying, "Don't worry about Henry, the lad can take care of himself. What we need to do right now is find a place where we can take shelter for the night."

"What!?" Carina asked, following after Jack, "But- we can't just stay here for the night! We've lost too much time as it is! The path to the Trident will be gone come sunrise two days from now, and we need to find our people and get out of here!"

Jack abruptly stopped and turned around to face Carina, forcing her to stop in place as well. Afterwards, Jack spoke, "Allow me to break it down for you, girl. Salazar is still out on the ocean, the Royal Navy is trying to kill us on land, I don't know where me bloody crew is, and to top it all off I haven't had a single drop of rum since last night. What we need to do right now is find a spot to camp for the night and regroup. No doubt that Scarfield's troops are settling in as we speak."

"This is just a gigantic waste of time," Carina complained, arms crossed.

"It's called being _patient,_ love," Jack said, "Like that Langland fella said, 'patience is a virtue.'"

Carina didn't say anything, but she looked at Jack suspiciously for a moment. Soon after, she asked "You know Langland?"

"Of course I do, I read," Jack stated simply, "Sometimes. Maybe. It's been a while since I've actually read a book."

Carina continued looking at Jack with surprise, a recurring feeling she got whenever she was around him. Jack was nothing if not full of surprises.

But she realized that she was getting sidetracked by where this conversation was going. She needed to get back on point if they were to get off this island and find the Trident in time.

Carina closed her eyes and shook her head, and then she said, "Whatever, I don't have time for patience."

She tried to brush past Jack to continue onward, but Jack had placed his left hand, still clutching onto one of his bottles of rum, on her shoulder. Carina stopped turned her gaze toward Jack, and her temper began to rise, saying, "Get your hand off me. Who do you think you are?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything Carina pointed a finger towards her and threatened, "If you say ' _I'm Captain Jack Sparrow'_ again, I swear to God I'll punch you in the gob."

"Carina, listen to me," Jack said, his tone more stern and serious than before, "There's nothing more we can do tonight. We have to make camp and we'll leave in the morning."

With a look of disgust on her face, Carina raised both of her hands and pushed Jack away from her, causing him to stumble backward a few steps and look at her with surprise. Emboldened by this act, Carina drew her sword from her scabbard and pointed it towards Jack.

Jack said nothing, but merely set the bottles of rum down onto the ground where he was standing, never once taking his eyes off the blade while he did so. Once he finished, his gaze shifted from the blade to the girl's blue eyes where he saw the anger burning behind them, a dark characteristic lurking within her. But at the same time, there was a gentleness even as her gaze was fierce, a certain pure quality that Jack couldn't quite place his finger on. It was even _soothing_ to an extent, and that made Jack feel slightly uncomfortable. Slightly.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Carina's voice saying, "You dragged me into this nightmare. I'm not settling down now."

"Carina-" Jack began, but Carina cut him off by saying, "We're _this_ close, and you just want to stop?"

"No, it's-" Jack tried to continue, but Carina interrupted him yet again, saying, "The Trident's within our reach! Why would you want to stop _now_ of all times? Are you daft or someth-"

"ENOUGH!" Jack bellowed, causing Carina to flinch slightly and stop talking. A beat. Jack cleared his throat, and then calmly said, "Enough. We will find the Trident. I promise you. But for now, we need to get some sleep, alright? We'll be back on the water first thing tomorrow. I swear."

Carina started to lower her sword lightly, taking in what Jack had to say. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. The glow of the evening started to dissipate, slowly replaced by a subtle shadow that engulfed the forest they were in. There was nothing more they could do tonight.

Jack exhaled through his nose, and turned around to continue walking onward. Before he even set his foot down to walk forward, he pivoted himself around again to face Carina again and said "Sorry, I needed to say that."

"You know what? I'm already over it. Nothing to worry about," Carina said, pursing her lips together, and then Jack said, "Ah, okay then."

Jack turned away from her, and then he turned right back yet again, saying "And just so you know, if you threaten someone with a sword again you'll have to do a much better job at actually, y'know, threatening them."

Carina raised an eyebrow.

"I think I was doing a pretty okay job myself for my first time, considering the fact that you squealed like a six-year-old," Carina said, to which Jack laughed in response.

"So you admit you've never held a sword before?" Jack asked, turning the tables on her.

"I- well, I- um..." Carina tried to explain, but Jack didn't wait for her to finish her thoughts before he said, "It's perfectly fine, only if you're going to be carrying around something sharp like that it'd be wise to know how to properly wield it, savvy?"

"Well..." Carina began, "if you were to give me some pointers, then I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Jack grinned at this, and then he drew his own sword from his scabbard and faced Carina.

"Anyone can swing a sword, to be sure," Jack started, "but the most important thing to remember in a duel is footwork."

The two raised their swords and waited for when they would begin.

"Now, if I step here..." Jack said, stepping to his right two spaces, and Carina did the same on her end. Quickly, she swung her sword twice towards Jack who was able to parry both with relative ease.

"Very good," he said with a grin, and Carina couldn't help but grin as well, "Now I step again..."

* * *

Night was beginning to set out over the island. Darkness was fast approaching, and the British gave up their pursuit for the day and set up camp. No one had left the island the entire day, and Salazar made sure of it.

The _Silent Mary_ sat out in the open water, having not been detected by the British fleet as of yet. The crew were becoming impatient and awaiting the return of Barbossa and his men with Jack Sparrow in tow. Still, it was not like they had any other choice for it was now discovered that none of them could step on land.

There was a small ceremony earlier in the day where the whole crew paid tribute to Miguel and Rodrigo, the two Spanish soldiers that disintegrated upon touching the dry beaches. The men simply could not believe that they were gone. Thirty years they had spent together trapped inside the Devil's Triangle, and though they were all in constant agony from their curse, the one thing they did have were each other.

But now they were gone. Again. All thanks to Jack Sparrow. The only consolation for their loss for the ghostly crew were that their souls had finally been set free of the curse and were able to move on into the afterlife. Or maybe the curse ensured they went to Hell for real this time. They didn't know. They didn't want to know.

Salazar took the loss the hardest, probably because he felt the most responsible for what happened to them. He knew that it was Jack's fault that they died, but as their captain, the guilt felt like it had been lumped upon his shoulders too. It was his own hubris that led to them all becoming cursed in the first place, and for that he never stopped feeling guilty about the fate that he condemned them to.

_No,_ he tells himself, _the fate that Sparrow condemned us to._

The only consolation Salazar had for his own actions was the knowledge that it was Sparrow who mocked them, Sparrow who deceived them, Sparrow who got them all killed. And for that, Salazar would avenge his men by running his blade through the pirate's heart.

After the funeral had ended, Salazar limped back over towards his cabin, prepared to sit in solitude for a while before returning to work in commanding the ship. The men were going below to have as much of a wake as they could for their fallen.

He opened the door to his cabin and looked inside his decrepit abode. The bed was little more than stray feathers held together by bits of twine, resting overtop of the knots holding together the broken frame. Not that he needed it anyway, for his curse rendered him unable to sleep.

The windows at the back were jagged and broken. The cabinets were collapsed and molded. All manner of fine accessories and utilities that Salazar used in life were destroyed or deformed in one way or another. The only things that remained somewhat intact were his desk and chair and even those were shriveled and splintered.

Salazar got behind his desk, pulled his chair out, and sat himself down before scooting in. Once he had done so, he took his sword and scabbard off of his person and rested it upon the desk.

He then leaned with his right elbow on the table, the right side of his face (the one that was intact) resting against his palm. He sighed deeply, the sight of Miguel and Rodrigo disintegrating into nothing still burning in his mind.

He was tired of waiting. Sparrow had to die.

The door creaked open, and Salazar looked upward to see that Lesaro was poking his head through.

" _Capitan,"_ his right-hand man spoke up, "The men are gathering below decks if you wish to join."

" _Gracias, mi amigo,"_ Salazar answered, lifting his head off of his hand, "but I think I would rather be alone for right now."

"Very well, the offer's still open if you change your mind," Lesaro replied.

Salazar stood up from where he was sitting and asked, "Any sign of Barbossa yet?"

"None so far, _Capitan,"_ Lesaro told him, "Permission to speak freely, s _eñor?"_

"Granted," Salazar responded simply.

"I don't trust Barbossa to uphold his end of the bargain," Lesaro admitted.

"Nor do I, _Teniente._ He's a pirate, after all," Salazar explained, whereupon he picked up his sword from the table and limped his way over towards the broken windows, "All pirates act on deceit."

"Then why strike a deal with him if you know this?" Lesaro inquired.

Salazar didn't mind being questioned by his men, and after all this time he couldn't really blame them. Still, it didn't change the fact that he didn't like it.

"Because pirates also act on self-preservation. They only care about themselves," Salazar answered, staring out of the windows towards the setting sun, "Barbossa is the only one who can lead us to Jack Sparrow, and if he's smart he'll comply. My only hope is that he doesn't realize that he'll still die regardless of his actions."

"So you had no intention of holding up your end of the bargain?" Lesaro questioned.

"Like I've always said, there is no mercy for the pirate scum," Salazar answered coldly, and he turned around to face his lieutenant, "Jack Sparrow must pay for what he did to us and what he took from us. And once he's dead, we will not stop until every pirate at sea has fallen to our hands."

" _Si, Capitan,"_ Lesaro responded, his reply as firm and loyal as he ever was, "Let's just hope that day comes soon enough."

"It will, _Teniente._ It will," Salazar told him.

Upon this, Lesaro turned and left the cabin, closing the door behind him. Afterwards, Salazar limped back over towards his desk and sat himself down again. After sitting silently for a moment, his eyes fell upon the desk drawer on the right-hand side and he gazed at it for a moment. Slowly, his hand reached for the rusted handle and gingerly pulled the drawer open all the way. Salazar reached into the open drawer and pulled out a worn-out old picture frame of medium size, with an equally-worn out oil painting within it. He held it in both of his hands as he gazed at the images that were still somewhat discernable, and grief soon overcame him once more.

Salazar saw himself as he looked before his death, standing tall with broad shoulders as he was dressed in his clean, white captain's uniform. He could make out the details of his medals and his sideburns from the illustration. That German painter had done a magnificent job at capturing detail, but after all these years Salazar simply wondered if this portrait were nothing more than fantasy and the man he saw in the painting never existed.

But the image of his former self was not enough to cause him anguish. The figures standing next to him were the ones that shattered his heart.

To his right stood a woman about four inches shorter than him, with glistening auburn hair and eyes deep and brown. She was wearing a salmon-colored silk dress at the time this was painted. Her cheekbones were formed flawlessly as her fair skin contrasted sharply to the darkness of not just the picture's background but of the ship itself.

In front of the two adults were two young boys, neither of them older than ten. The elder of the two was wearing a dark semi-formal attire and had his mother's warm eyes. The younger was wearing lighter clothing and was sporting hair that was a dirty blond color. He had his father's nose.

Salazar brought his clammy, dead hand up to the picture of his family and caressed the images softly with his thumb.

" _Mi hermosa Maria..."_ Salazar's voice cracked with overwhelming sadness, " _Anton... Raoul..."_

One of the things that his curse wasn't able to take away from him was his ability to shed tears.

He had spent thirty years in that hellhole, unable to escape. He didn't know what had become of his wife and sons in all that time, isolated from the rest of the world with nothing more than his ship, his crew, and a hurricane's worth of his anger. His wife could very well be dead, his sons grown up and not able to remember him even if he could return home.

And it was all because of Jack Sparrow. That is why he had to die.

What did that pirate bastard know about family, anyway?

* * *

" _We're rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves! D _rink up, me 'earties, yo-ho! We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs! Drink up me 'earties, yo-ho!"__

Carina had proven herself to be a really quick learner when it came to Jack teaching her how to handle a sword. Granted, she wasn't suddenly some master swordsman (swordswoman?) after one session, but it sufficed for a start. For whatever reason, swordfighting just came naturally to her. Carina tried to wrap her head around exactly how she was able to do so, and the only thing she could come up with is that she had a near-perfect memory and was able to imitate Jack's techniques inside her mind and translate that to her hands. That could've been the reason. But whatever it actually was, she was glad she had picked up on it sooner rather than later. Who knows when it might come in handy?

Jack was also immensely impressed by Carina's skill for her first lesson, and he felt a little proud of himself for doing something right for a change. He couldn't understand how she picked up on it so quickly, but he was glad he did. One less thing to worry about.

They had continued walking until they had found a spot to camp for the night, building a small campfire in between two fallen palm trees that they would use for protection and for sleep.

Once Carina had finished laying down the last broken branch onto the rest of the burning wood, the golden color of the flames radiating against the darkness surrounding them, she looked up to see Jack standing before her holding up the two bottles of rum that he had found.

"Congratulations on completing your first dueling lesson! This calls for celebration!" Jack grinned, but Carina had given him a skeptical glance as to what he had in mind.

"Oh, no thank you. I don't drink," Carina replied, poking the flames with a branch to keep the fire going.

"Have you ever had a drink before?" Jack inquired.

"Well, no," Carina answered honestly, "Back in London there was never any need."

"Ah, but we're not _in_ London anymore, are we love?" Jack said, "You're in the Caribbean now."

"Doesn't mean I have to subscribe to everything that it entails. My mother raised me to have decency," Carina told him.

"And yet, you're a fugitive from the Royal Navy, sentenced to hang for witchcraft, and you're sailing with pirates to find lost treasure," Jack elaborated, "Seems like a pretty big loss of decency to me."

Carina just scoffed and looked away as Jack sat himself down on one of the fallen trees.

"I never could have imagined doing something like this," Carina remarked, "I mean... _ghosts._ Ghosts are real. Doesn't that shock you?"

"Trust me," Jack began, "You've seen one form of undead curse, you've seen them all."

"Sorry, it's just that I've lived my entire life based around facts and understanding, but for the first time... I can't explain this," Carina confessed.

"Not everything needs explaining," Jack said, placing one of the bottles down and opening the other, "Probably one of the great things about life is not knowing what's out there for you. Without the mystery, it becomes... less."

"I suppose," Carina said, and looked down and stared at the fire, feeling the warmth from the dancing flames.

After taking a swig of his rum, Jack opened his mouth and spoke, "So... astronomy. That's your speciality?"

"Yep," Carina answered.

"I'm curious, of all the things that a woman can possibly do, you choose that. Why?" he asked.

"That's the thing," she began, "There aren't many things a woman _can_ do. It seems unfair how we have these delegated rules for how we live our lives whereas men can just do whatever they please. I'm not saying men should be restricted from anything, only that women should have an equal playing field. I'm smart, I studied hard in school, I'm good at arithmetic and grammar. I could do anything if I were simply given the opportunity."

"So," Jack began, "what you're saying is that you feel that societal norms prevent you from living life to the fullest, and you wish to have these shackles removed so you can be free to do what you want?"

"Yes! Exactly!" Carina exclaimed.

Jack chuckled, "You're starting to sound more and more like a pirate."

Carina raised an eyebrow, and Jack took another swig of his rum.

"You're joking, right?" Carina asked, whereupon Jack pulled the bottle away from his mouth and said, "No. I'm serious. You've certainly got enough drive to do it. You're independent and want to live freely, that's exactly what I do."

"But, you're a _pirate,"_ Carina emphasized, "That entails... looting and sailing and killing and moral indecency."

"No, see, that's where you're mistaken," Jack explained, "Being a pirate is a lot more complex than that. It's not about being on a ship, robbing people blind, the swordfights and cannon fire, finding buried treasure, drinking rum, yada yada. All that is what being a pirate can _entail,_ not what it's all about. I'll let you in on a little secret."

Jack leaned in closer to the fire, and Carina did the same.

"Being a pirate is all about freedom," Jack said, "Pure, unhindered freedom. That's something the British Empire, or any empire for that matter, can never truly give you. You said yourself that women don't have many opportunities, well I'm hear to tell you that as a pirate you have no limits. There was this one woman I knew, green as they come when it came to piracy, gets herself elected Pirate King."

"A woman... Pirate _King?"_ Carina asked, puzzled.

"Long story, pirate code procedures, all that frivolity," Jack brushed it off, "Anywho, my point is that there are no expectations, no boundaries, no limits as to what you can do. Is it a hard life? It certainly can be. But the reward is damn well worth it, that much is certain."

Jack leaned back towards where he was sitting, Carina likewise.

"Wherever we want to go, we go. Whatever we want to do, we do. The possibilities are endless," Jack explained, "Besides, you already got the look for it. And the smell too. Though to be fair we still wash and don't get our wardrobe from dead men."

Carina couldn't help but laugh at that last bit. Try as she might, she found it increasingly harder to hate Jack Sparrow. He was intelligent, clever, and appeared to know exactly what it was he wanted out of life. Whatever drove him to being a pirate, and an eccentric one at that, she couldn't help but feel like she was in a similar position. She had to admit that freedom was what she was after, the reason why she studied hard in school and why she gazed up into the endless heavens every night. She longed to be free, to not be judged or persecuted by the rest of society just because she had ideas that did not conform with everyone else's.

"I think maybe I'll have just a sip," Carina said, even though her common sense was telling her not to.

"Beg your pardon?" Jack inquired, pulling the bottle away from his face.

"The rum," Carina, "I'll give it a try. Not like I have to do anything urgently."

Jack's face broke into a grin, and he said, "So she finally comes around."

He picked up the other bottle from the ground, and passed it over to Carina who took it.

Carina popped open the cork, and took a whiff of the amber liquid inside. She scrunched her nose, squinted, and turned her head away."

"Whoa, that's strong," she commented.

"The taste is stronger," Jack said, and Carina then raised the bottle, saying, "To freedom, then."

Carina took a sip of the rum, and she felt the alcohol burn her tongue and the back of her throat. Almost immediately, she pulled her mouth away and started coughing from the drink she took.

"It always stings at first," Jack commented.

After she stopped coughing, Carina looked towards Jack and said, "You know, it actually isn't that bad. I kind of like it."

"Excellent!" Jack exclaimed, and then he extended his bottle out over the fire. Carina did the same and they clinked the bottles together.

"For the Trident," Jack toasted, and the two drank away.

After her second drink, Carina had said, "I'm not going to have too much more, though. I don't want to overdo it."

Had said.

_Had._

It wasn't too much longer that Carina became intoxicated. Jack was still fine because his tolerance level had been built up over decades, but Carina was already drunk on her first time. Soon enough afterwards, she started to get rowdy, and Jack figured out the perfect solution to have her dispel the energy before she fell asleep: music.

_"Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!"_ they both had finished as they danced around the fire. Jack was still sober enough to keep Carina in tune with the song, and she was laughing out of her mind while they danced.

"I love this song!" Carina exclaimed, "It's so... so..."

"Catchy?" Jack inserted.

"Yeah! Yeah, thazz the one! Ya got it. Catchy, catchy, catchy, catchy," Carina slurred, not having full control over herself, "Did- did you come up with that yourself, or... did you learn it or what?"

"Learned it, as a matter of fact," Jack said, "Old friend, we both got drunk, started to sing it. Bit simple, really, but still enjoyable."

"If it's not enjoyable, then..." Carina trailed off, "What's the point?"

"Precisely," Jack said, and Carina started to stumble some more in her steps.

"You know, you're quite the men- mentlegen, Jack Sparrrrrrooooow," Carina said, "You certainly know your way with women."

Jack's eyes widened, not liking where her frame of mind was going.

"I do, but in this case I am not with a woman. I am with a girl. A very, very drunk girl that I have no inclination towards in any way," Jack said, starting to back away from her slightly.

"Awwww, spoilsport," Carina pouted, and then raised her bottle to take another sip of the rum. Acting quickly, Jack pulled it away from her before she made things worse for herself.

"Why did you do that!?" Carina whined, and Jack put the bottle behind his back, "It was gooooood!"

"Yes it was, but unfortunately," Jack told her, pouring what was left of the rum onto the ground behind him, "it's all gone."

"But- but- why is the rum gone!?" Carina asked, and Jack looked at her in surprise.

"Normally, I would be the one asking that question," Jack answered. This was getting much too weird for him. He liked the pissed-off Carina more than the piss-drunk Carina, "But it's gone because... you drank it all?"

"Dammit!" Carina cursed, "Curse me myself and... what?"

"I think it's time we went off to sleep," Jack said, grabbing a pouting Carina by the shoulders and escorting her back to the fallen trees where they would be sleeping.

Once Jack had sat her back down on the log, Carina looked up at him and asked "Who was that ghost that wanted you dead? Mandy Sally?"

"Who?" Jack inquired, but then it became clear to him who she was talking about, "Oh! You mean Armando Salazar!"

"Yeah, that bloke," Carina asked, "What'd you do to tick him off?"

"Killed him, that's what," Jack said, "I'll fill you in later but here's some basic details. Pirate hunter, tried to kill me and other pirates, ended up having to kill him in self-defense."

"I don't think you did a good enough job," Carina said, "'cause he's kinda still here."

Carina laughed at her own comment, and Jack said, "Yeah, yeah, can't win them all. We'll find a way."

Carina lay down on her back against the log, and her eyes began to droop.

"You're not a bad man, just... life's unfair sometimes," she said sleepily, and her eyes shut as she fell into a deep sleep.

Jack was still standing when Carina fell asleep. After she did, he looked upon her with amusement upon his face. She would wake up to a nasty hangover in the morning, but for now she looked so peaceful sleeping like she did. Jack didn't know what prompted him to think this, but there was this quality about Carina that seemed so... pure. Innocent.

He saw that the fire was dying, and felt a light breeze in the air. He looked up and saw Carina shivering slightly while she slept. Jack wasn't normally one to be charitable to others, but seeing her shiver made him feel uncomfortable. Upon this, Jack took off his overcoat and rested it on top of Carina like a blanket. He would be fine, he's endured far worse climates than this many times. She, however, was inexperienced to this sort of living.

Jack's mind was put at ease when her shivering stopped. As the last spark of the fire went out, Jack then laid himself down on his own log and pulled his hat over his eyes. He fell asleep almost at once.

_Carina,_ he thought.

_That's a pretty name._

_A very pretty name._

_With very pretty, blue eyes._


	16. One Good Deed

_Jonathan sat huddled at his desk, his quill dashing against the parchment before him as he conducted his report on his most recent outing for the East India Trading Company. He tried to recount the details in full of what happened, but it was easy for him to get distracted. Ever since the day he killed Bonnet, he hadn't really been the same. He had killed plenty of pirates before, but he never felt sorrow for any of them until Bonnet, who had made him promise to protect his parcel. For years, his anger at his father caused him to think that pirates were less than human, but... the image of Bonnet pleading to him shook his convictions. This had not been a man of violence or greed; he had seen it in his eyes as he died._

_Jonathan had smuggled Bonnet's parcel back to London successfully, carefully making sure neither his crew nor Mercer knew of it's existence. He had kept it hidden away for about a month until curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what was so important about it, why Bonnet had so willingly entrusted him with it's protection. Most importantly, he wanted to understand who that mysterious woman was, why she just appeared and disappeared out of nowhere, and how she seemed to know who he was. Jonathan figured it was safer with him not knowing what was in the parcel, but the temptation was too great to resist. He stopped writing his report for a moment, and then opened his desk drawer to show the wrapped object lying inside. Carefully, he had opened the package to reveal something most peculiar._

_A small, leather-bound book, with a ruby on the front cover._

_"What is this?" he spoke aloud to himself, turning the book over in his hands. He noticed that the leather binding the book together was very worn, possibly hundreds of years old. However, apart from the ruby, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary surrounding the physical makeup of the book. So what was so valuable about it that made Bonnet want to keep it out of the hands of empires?_

_Jonathan opened the book to the first page. He noticed right away that the writing was not in English, but it didn't stop him from recognizing the name inked onto the surface._

_"Galileo Galilei?" Jonathan asked aloud to himself, his eyes widening in surprise at the knowledge that this book had belonged to him. What would pirates want with a scientist's journal?_

_Based on the discovery of who created the book, Jonathan deduced that it was written in Italian. He wasn't knowledgeable of that language but he figures he can walk it through Spanish to decipher what was written._

_He continuously keeps flipping through the pages, scanning every line and chart that Galileo had written down. This was the man's diary. It was a personal account of everything that he had discovered throughout his lifetime. There were notes written about physics, mathematics, and astronomy all over. Maps of the star rotations littered many of the pages._

_As Jonathan continued to scrutinize every paragraph, there was one thing in particular that kept reappearing throughout: the Trident of the legendary sea god Poseidon. Jonathan raised an eyebrow at this, and didn't see how a mythological tale possibly correlated with the factual information in the diary. But then it occurred to him that this could've been what the pirates were looking for. Galileo wrote of the Trident's power saying it had an unholy power about it, making the staff used by Moses to part the Red Sea seem like a trifle thing. He went on to say that whoever controlled the Trident controlled the seas, and that this diary held the clues to its discovery._

_Jonathan's heart raced in excitement at this knowledge. This was something out of the old tavern yarns that he heard as a lad, nautical lore and superstition. But here he was, holding a scientist's book in his hands providing him with the clues to locate one of the greatest treasures in history. He was simply awestruck at what this meant._

* * *

_For the next six months, Jonathan began to educate himself in astronomy, using what he learned to decipher the charts. Galileo was very meticulous, making sure that each of his charts were difficult to interpret without the proper know-how. But luckily enough, Jonathan was a quick learner and was able to figure out most of the clues he had left behind._

_However, what started as excitement turned into obsession. Sometimes he would stay up all night looking through his window at the starry night sky with his telescope whether he found anything useful or not; there was a certain beauty to them that he never fully appreciated until now. He was very secretive over the diary's existence, letting no one know it did except for himself._

_That is, until one night when he was stargazing and his wife had caught him doing so._

_"Jack, what are you doing?" Maggie asked, and Jonathan jumped at the sound of her voice. He turned around in his chair to face her, his eyes widened in surprise._

_"Maggie!" Jonathan said, "You startled me."_

_"It's three o'clock in the morning. What are you still doing up?" Maggie asked again, and her gaze fell upon the ruby-adorned journal on the desk. Jonathan noticed her shift in attention from him to the book, and then looked over towards the book and back to her again. He sighed, supposing he was going to have to tell her at some point._

_"Maggie, I have something to tell you, but you have to promise me that what I tell you stays between us, alright?" Jonathan spoke with sincerity, "No one else can know about this."_

_"You can trust me, Jack," Maggie replied, "Now, what is it?"_

_Jonathan got up out of his chair, picking up Galileo's diary while he did so. He motioned for Maggie to follow him and the both entered into their bedroom. They sat down upon the bed they shared, and Jonathan began to explain what the diary was, how he came to acquire it, and why it needed to stay a secret between them._

_"So that explains why you've been acting so differently," Maggie deduced. Indeed, there had been a noticeable shift in Jonathan's demeanor. He seemed less talkative than he had been in the past which gave her the notion that he had been hiding something. And she wasn't the only one who thought this; Cutler had seen that Jonathan was easily distracted more often than not in recent months. Now she knew why._

_"It's not just the diary, Mag," Jonathan began, "When I killed Bonnet, there was this... feeling. I have never enjoyed killing, but I've never once felt remorse for pirates before."_

_"That's good," Maggie said sternly, taking Jonathan's hand in her own, "because that means that you have a soul."_

_"But it doesn't change what I did," Jonathan continued, turning his head away from his wife, "I still killed him. Does this make me a bad man?"_

_Maggie let her grip of Jonathan's hand go and grabbed both sides of his face, making him look her directly in the eyes._

_"Jack, you are my best friend and the man I love. I know who you are, and you are not a bad person," Maggie said, "You're a man that's worked hard to get where he is, despite all the obstacles life has thrown at you. No matter what happens, you still manage to find a way to do the right thing. You are a good man, and don't ever doubt that about yourself ever again. That is why I married you."_

_Jonathan stared into her beautiful eyes for a long moment, like it was the first time he ever saw them. He took in what she had to say, and though it would take a lot more convincing to change his outlook on himself, all he knew for certain was that he loved her. He brought his hand up to push back a strand of hair blocking her face, and then started to caress her cheek with the same hand._

_"Where would I be without you, Mag?" Jonathan smiled, and Maggie returned the courtesy, "Lost in the open ocean without a paddle, dearest."_

_Jonathan chuckled, and leaned in to kiss the love of his life. He will still never understand why she married him of all people. He was the bastard son of a pirate and a disgraced noblewoman, but she had told him that she didn't care. It didn't matter that he was born on a pirate ship during a typhoon and named after his pirate uncle. It didn't matter that he had spent his childhood among pirates in the Caribbean and West Africa. It didn't matter that he had run away from home at a young age to escape that life. It didn't matter that he had grown up with a deep resentment towards his father for limiting his opportunities in life simply because he was a pirate's son. It didn't matter that he hated his father so much that he refused to take his name and instead took his mother's maiden name._

_None of that mattered to Maggie. All that mattered to her was that Jonathan was Jonathan, and that's why she loved him so much._

* * *

_Six more months had passed, and life continued with relative bliss. Jonathan continued his research with more ease now that there were no secrets between him and Maggie, and work with the EITC had been steady. He'd been with the company for over a year now, and he appreciated the change of pace the job brought as opposed to all the fighting while he was in the Royal Navy. This afforded him to spend much less time in combat and much more time with his wife, and for that Jonathan was very grateful._

_Still, he felt that Commodore Beckett was becoming suspicious of his behavior. Jonathan's secretiveness about Galileo's diary led Cutler to think that something was off, though he never actually tried to pry into Jonathan's private life. They were brothers-in-law after all, and so some level of trust was maintained._

_But Jonathan couldn't shake the feeling that all of his actions were being carefully monitored. He suspected Mercer knew more than he was letting on in regards to the diary and told Cutler, but he had no way of proving this. So, he continued living life as he had been all along, content with his steady job and loving wife._

_A messenger arrived at his door one afternoon, holding a letter that bore the seal of the EITC. Jonathan opened it and saw that it was instructions from Beckett that his next assignment would be to transport goods to a plantation owner in Kingston. This was farther than it had been in the past, for usually his trading missions would range from European ports to West Africa at the farthest. Now he was being tasked to sail the Atlantic. It must've been some pretty important cargo, but the Atlantic was nothing he couldn't handle. The only problem was that it would be long before he would see Maggie again._

_Later that night, after they had finished dinner and were sitting beside the fire in their living room, Maggie noticed that Jonathan looked worried for he had his hands clasped together and wasn't saying much._

_"What's the matter, Jack?" Maggie asked him, and he raised his head to meet her gaze. God, he still couldn't get over the blue of her eyes. It was breathtaking every time he saw her._

_Jonathan took a deep breath and said, "I've received notice about another trading mission for the company. It'll begin in a week's time."_

_"Okay," Maggie nodded. She was used to him being gone for a few weeks at a time, but Jonathan knew he was going to be gone for much, much longer._

_"It's to Kingston," Jonathan admitted, and then he cleared his throat waiting for his wife's reaction. When he didn't get a response after a few moment, he said, "Jamaica."_

_"I know," Maggie said, a quizzical expression upon her face as she looked away from her husband for a moment. She looked shocked._

_"You're not mad, are you?" Jonathan asked, because he had to be certain about what she was feeling._

_"Of course I'm not mad at you," Maggie began, "If anything, I'm mad at my idiot brother for sending you across the Atlantic."_

_Jonathan blinked._

_"Does he have any idea how big the Atlantic is? You'll be gone for months," Maggie said, "I'll have to write to him to convince you to take a shorter assignment..."_

_"Maggie, it's alright," Jonathan spoke up, "I've gone across the Atlantic plenty of times, I'll be fine."_

_"But that was before we were married," Maggie retorted, "Are you saying you're okay with Cutler sending you so far away for so long?"_

_"I'm not, just-" Jonathan sighed and then inhaled, "I don't want to be far away from you, but you know I'm telling you the truth when I say I'll be fine. It's a job that needs doing, and if it's not me it's someone else. Besides, I don't want to play favorites with Cutler just because we're family now."_

_Maggie pouted and averted her gaze, and then Jonathan said, "Listen, if you really feel so bad about it, I can always request a different assignment."_

_"No," Maggie replied in a defeated voice, "It's fine. Just as long as you never have to do another contract across the Atlantic again. Just this once."_

_"Alright then," Jonathan replied, getting up out of his chair, walking over to Maggie's, and extending his hand out to her. Gently, she took it, and he lifted her out of it. They then walked over to their sofa and lay down upon it, Jonathan wrapping his arms around his wife._

_"If you are going in a week, then we better make this next week worth remembering," Maggie commented, to which Jonathan chuckled._

_"My precious pearl, you always know the right course of action," Jonathan said, and Maggie smiled at the pet name he had given her, and then a thought occurred to her._

_"Speaking of the right course..." she began, lifting herself off the couch and walking over to their bedroom. After a few moments of silence, Jonathan asked, "What? What is it?"_

_Maggie returned a few moments later, holding a compass in her right hand._

_"You kept complaining about your broken compass, so..." she said, extending the instrument towards Jonathan. He then took the object from her grasp and then opened the lid, watching the needle bob in the direction of North._

_"I love it," Jonathan said with a smile upon his face, and Maggie sat back down, snuggling up against him._

_"So that even if you get lost, you can always find your way back to me," Maggie said._

* * *

_It was the final night before Jonathan was to depart from London for Kingston. Maggie had cooked a magnificent goose and now they were in their living area indulging in fine madeira._

_"So," Maggie began, "shall we toast to your health and good fortune for your journey?"_

_"We could," Jonathan began, "but the greatest fortune I've ever had is meeting you. And that's enough to carry me across the entire world without stopping."_

_"Okay, now you're just being sappy," Maggie chuckled, and she took another drink. Jonathan finished his and poured himself another glassful._

_"Hey, can I ask you something?" Maggie asked, and Jonathan gave a faint "Mmm?" as he was drinking. Maggie bit her lip, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "After you get back, do you perhaps want to... you know... uh... start a family?"_

_Jonathan nearly choked on his drink and started to cough. He had to pound against his chest a few times to clear his throat properly. He did not expect that topic to come up._

_He turned towards her, and after a moment of hesitation himself, said, "Family? As in... children?"_

_"Well, yes," Maggie said simply, though she appeared to be flustered._

_Jonathan considered it for a moment. They had been married for a few years, but they had never really talked about starting a family. They were both young still and relished in that, despite the fact they were already committed to each other._

_"I don't know," Jonathan answered honestly. He did want children eventually, but he wasn't certain that he'd be good enough. A part of him feared that he would turn out to be like his own father, a man who appeared like he cared about his family but the only person he really cared for was himself. He hated that neglect he felt as a boy, spending more time with extended family while his dad went out pirating. He didn't want to be that kind of man who valued his career over his loved ones, a negative role model for any potential offspring he might have._

_"I'm not talking about right now. I just mean... eventually," Maggie clarified. She knew that parenting was a touchy subject for him, but she did truly want to have that experience with him at one point or another. If not now, then sometime soon enough._

_"Maybe. I mean..." Jonathan began, but then sighed when his thoughts hit a wall, "After I get back, we'll definitely talk about it more. I'm not opposed to it, I'm just not sure that I would be ready for it either."_

_"Alright then," Maggie replied. She understood if he wasn't ready. She could wait._

_There was an awkward pause between the two for a brief moment as they sipped their drinks in silence._

_"Want to see something interesting?" Jonathan said, breaking the silence._

_"What?" Maggie asked, whereupon Jack set down his glass and stood upward._

_"Come outside with me and I'll show you," Jonathan said, and Maggie stood up from where she was sitting. She followed Jonathan upstairs and went onto the upper back terrace of their home. From here, they could see the city of London all around them covered in a blanket of darkness, but up above them were the heavens, shining brightly and littered across the sky like dust._

_"It's beautiful, isn't it Mag?" Jonathan remarked, starring at the night sky._

_"It is," Maggie said, awestruck of the magnificent sight._

_"Here, come take a look at this," Jonathan said, and Maggie's attention went back towards him. He was standing right next to the telescope he had mounted on the terrace just for stargazing. He motioned for her to come closer, and she did. Jonathan bent down and looked through the telescope, adjusting the lens slightly so the image would be clear._

_"This is Capricornus," Jonathan stated as he stepped to the side. Maggie came closer and looked through the telescope herself, seeing the constellation he had identified._

_Maggie then turned the telescope slightly, and then asked aloud, "Which one is this?"_

_She moved out of the way and Jonathan looked through, saying, "That would be Aquila."_

_Maggie was impressed with his knowledge of the constellations._

_"Ooh, what about this one here?" Maggie asked after shifting the telescope again._

_"That's Scorpius," Jonathan answered after a quick glance._

_Maggie turned the telescope again._

_"And this one?" she asked._

_Jonathan looked through the telescope again and smiled. This was a personal favorite one of his._

_"Carina," he answered._

_They spent about another hour looking at the constellations before they decided to retire to their bedroom for the evening. When they got there, they changed into their bedclothes, but neither was ready for sleep just then._

_As Maggie was finishing dressing herself for the evening, Jonathan walked in slowly behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his head on her shoulder, and closed his eyes with contentment. Maggie smiled at the motion and brought up her hand to caress her husband's face, the warmth of her thumb making Jonathan feel good inside. He loved this woman so damn much._

_He adjusted his head so that he could kiss her shoulder blade, and Maggie giggled at the feeling of her husband's kisses. She turned around slowly so that she was face to face with Jonathan, though he continued to kiss her as she turned._

_"Jack..." Maggie said simply, and Jonathan looked up to gaze at his beautiful wife. She was perfect in every sense of the word. From her eyes, to her cheekbones, to her voice, to her hair, to... everything._

_And she was his, and he hers._

_Jonathan leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. With every passing moment it grew more passionate. That taste of hers was like the nectar of the gods._

_They broke away for a moment to catch their breath, and they were both panting heavily._

_"I want you," Maggie declared, and with this Jonathan's heart really started to beat out of his chest._

_"You do?" he asked, though there was no need. He wanted her too._

_"Yes," she answered, "Oh, yes, yes, yes."_

_Jonathan smiled, and he began kissing her again. They soon began walking back over towards their bed and lay down upon it, passion overcoming the both of them as they made love well into the night._

_"My precious pearl..." Jonathan uttered once more._

* * *

_They were at the dockyard the following morning. The Wicked Wench and her crew were getting ready to depart. Jonathan was to meet with Commodore Beckett before he departed for last minute instructions on the operation._

_"What do you mean I'm not allowed to know what the cargo is?" Jonathan asked sternly while standing inside Cutler's office, "It's my ship, I should know what I'm hauling."_

_"Technically, the ship does not belong to you. It belongs to the East India Trading Company," Cutler corrected him, sitting in his chair, "Now, our client, Mr. Prins, has requested that the nature of the cargo be kept as incognito as possible. The crew has no idea what is being hauled, only Mr. Mercer does."_

_"How come he does and I can't? I'm the captain," Jonathan demanded, getting more frustrated by the minute._

_"Mr. Mercer is above you in seniority of the company, Captain," Cutler explained, "I'm sorry, but this is what protocol dictates."_

_Jonathan looked at Beckett with a steady gaze. He knew there was more to it than just client confidentiality. He could tell in his voice that he was hiding something from him, something monstrous._

_He took off his hat, and said, "Alright then. Don't tell me as a lower-ranking officer of the company. Tell me as your friend and brother-in-law, Cutler. What am I hauling?"_

_Cutler looked down at his desk, with a map of the known regions of the world in front of him. He got up from where he was sitting and walked over to where Jonathan was. He wrapped an arm over his shoulder and said, "Jack, I want to. But I can't. I want you to trust me. Even I don't know what's being hauled. Only Mr. Mercer does because the chairman has instructed him alone to do so. I was issued the order, but only Mr. Mercer knows the details of the operation."_

_Jonathan putting his tricorn back upon his head, and said "If you want trust, Commodore, you have to be willing to give it, savvy?"_

_Cutler chuckled, "Ah, Jack, you always have a way with words. That's one of the things I like about you. That's perhaps why my sister married you in the first place."_

_Jonathan saw that he was deflecting, but he wasn't going to call him out on it just now._

_"But what you need to know is that this isn't personal, Jack," Cutler spoke again, "Just good business."_

_Jonathan smiled through his teeth as he left the office, unsettled by what had just transpired. Cutler was hiding something, and Jonathan was determined to find out what it was one way or another._

_He made his way over to the docks where Mercer was giving orders to the crew as they prepared to make way. But he didn't join them immediately. He had to say goodbye to Maggie before he went._

_He found her standing right next to the port aft of the Wench, and she looked as mesmerizing as she ever did. The ocean breeze was making her hair blow in the wind, and her blue eyes were a perfect reflection of the water near her._

_"Remember when we first met?" Maggie began as Jonathan came closer, "You were a teenage deckhand aboard a merchant schooner on your way back from Glasgow."_

_"I remember," Jonathan replied, "I also remember how the captain let me try my hand at the wheel for the first time as we were sailing back here."_

_"And how it ended so disastrously that you crashed the ship right into the dock," Maggie giggled._

_"To be fair, you were out in that market just over there," Jonathan pointed in the direction of the port market, "and your beauty was so disorienting that I couldn't concentrate."_

_Maggie laughed and asked, "Oh, so you're saying it's my fault the ship crashed?"_

_"Well, yes," Jonathan said, "I was doing a pretty good job too for my first time."_

_"Oh, shut up," Maggie said with a smile as she playfully pushed Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan allowed himself to laugh with his wife for a moment before things became serious. It just struck him then that he wasn't going to see her for four months at the earliest, and it made him feel sick inside. He didn't want to leave her behind._

_He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. His breath shuddered when she reciprocated the embrace and felt the warmth of their bodies against each other._

_"I will return," Jonathan vowed, "I swear it."_

_"I have no doubt you will," Maggie reassured, and the embrace loosened after a few more moments. They gazed into each others eyes once more, Jonathan into her cool blue eyes, Maggie into his fierce brown ones._

_"I love you, Maggie," Jonathan spoke, not a flicker of doubt as he said it._

_"I love you too, Jack," Maggie replied. They embraced again for another long moment, and after they broke it off, Maggie spoke again, saying, "Before you go, you don't want to forget this."_

_She opened up the pocketbook she was carrying to reveal that she had Galileo's diary with her. Jonathan didn't know what to say._

_"No, it's safer with you than it is with me," Jonathan answered, but Maggie wouldn't have any of it, saying, "You know this better than anyone. Please, take it. It'll give you something to do while you're out there. Maybe once you're done with your job you could go and find it."_

_"First thing I'm doing after I'm done is coming straight back here. I won't find it without you," Jonathan said with a wink. Nevertheless, he took the diary and hid it away on his person._

_"I'm looking forward to it," Maggie smiled._

_Jonathan and Maggie embraced each other again one last time, and gave each other a passionate kiss before he had to go._

_"Keep a weather eye on the horizon," Jonathan told her, and he boarded the ship. He looked to his crew and gave them the order to make way, and he took one last look at Margaret Beckett before the Wicked Wench left port._

_She was waving goodbye. He did the same._

_Jonathan looked forward to the day he would see her again._

* * *

_For three weeks they'd been out at sea. Jonathan captained his ship as per usual, making sure his men were swabbing the decks good enough or knew how to tie a proper reef knot. It was all he could do at this point. He'd only talked with Mercer about the current goings of the crew and nothing more. He never once demanded or even mentioned anything in regards to what he was hauling, for he knew that was a losing battle. So he continued to play along with whatever the "confidentiality agreement" was this Mr. Prins had set up with the EITC. Confined mostly to the weather deck, he could only imagine what was down there. Best case scenario, it was a lion fitted with a muzzle. Worst case scenario, it was opioids from the Far East._

_To take his mind off the matter, he pretended like he wasn't suspicious at all. Most of the time he was in his cabin, either reading or continuing his research with Galileo's diary. In fact, if his calculations were correct, a blood moon would reveal itself in a few weeks time, and Galileo had made note that a clue would reveal itself once it came. Jonathan was lucky he had taken the diary with him when he could, because blood moons were not a common occurrence. He'd be one step closer to the Trident of Poseidon._

_But then, he thought of his wife and how he already missed her like crazy. It would still be a while longer before they would be together again. But for now, the mere thought of her was enough to keep him going. And maybe, just maybe, when he got back, they'd look into starting a family like they had talked about._

_Jonathan smiled. He would like that life._

_For now, he had to make do with his second-greatest love, being his ship. The Wench was a fierce vessel, unlike anything Jonathan had seen during his time in the Royal Navy. There was a certain liberating power to her that made her stand out from the rest. Maybe it's because she's his own ship, and no one else's. He felt the most free out on the open ocean, letting the spray of the salty water touch his face as he felt the sun-kissed wooden wheel beneath his grip as he listened to the waves crash and the squawking of seagulls. Oh, how he loved the sea. It was a vast, wet desert of blue that covered most of the world, and the ability to traverse across it's seeming endlessness filled him with so much wonderment. There was so much out there that had yet to be explored yet, and there would still be more even beyond his own lifetime. Every time he got behind the wheel, he wondered where the wind would take him next._

_For better or worse, seafaring was in his blood._

_It was dusk, and Jonathan was currently at the helm of the Wench, taking over for the pilot who was on leave for the evening. He didn't mind the task because he quite enjoyed being in full control of the ship. He checked the compass Maggie had given him and made sure they continued on their course towards Kingston, and he saw the ship was heading southwest as per their heading._

_He kept steady on the wheel, but at the thought of his destination, Jonathan's mind went back to the cargo. Company protocol or not, he hated not being able to know what was on his own ship. Sooner or later he was going to find out what it was._

_After contemplating the matter, Jonathan used some rope to tie the Wench's wheel in place, and resolved he was going to find out what the cargo was. Tonight._

_He made his way to the gun deck below and grabbed a lantern off the wall. He said hello as he passed by his crew of Marines and sailors, and went further downstairs to the cargo hold, which was blocked off by a door and two Royal Marines standing guard. They quickly reassumed their posts when they saw their captain coming._

_"As you were," Jonathan told them as he came near, but before he got any closer, the guard on his right said, "I'm sorry, Captain, but this area is off limits to you."_

_"How is it that there are areas I'm restricted from on my own ship?" Jonathan asked rhetorically, but the same guard said, "I'm sorry, Captain. Mr. Mercer's orders."_

_Jonathan had had enough, "And I say, I order you to let me pass. Captain's orders. This is my ship, my crew. Mr. Mercer is not in command, I am."_

_The soldier on his right prepared to speak again, but before he did the soldier on his left had unlocked the door and said, "Very well, sir. Your orders after all."_

_"Much obliged, Mr. Turner," Jonathan told the guard, who nodded his head while the other stood incredulous to what just happened. Without hesitating for another moment, Jonathan stepped forward and opened the door, being greeted with nothing but complete darkness around him. He closed the door behind him and raised his lantern, slowly walking forward until he could see what was inside._

_When he did, his free hand rushed to cover his mouth as he looked at the horror before him._

_It was the brig, with six large iron-wrought cells filled beyond maximum capacity. With people._

_Jonathan wanted to throw up._

_He looked at each of the cages to see at least dozens of dark-skinned men, women, and children pressed up against the iron bars looking right at him. He could feel their gaze, and it was overwhelming him. This couldn't be happening, surely there had to have been some sort of mistake. He wasn't a slave trader._

_There had to be at least a hundred people on board._

_"So," a sinister voice spoke from behind Jonathan, causing him to jump, "decided to do some snooping, have you?"_

_Jonathan turned around to see that Mercer was standing in the doorway, his hands behind his back as he spoke calmly towards him, insignificant towards the magnitude of the abomination they were in midst of._

_"What... the... hell... is this!?" Jonathan asked through gritted teeth. He stomped over closer to Mercer and nearly yelled, "I never consented to hauling slaves!"_

_"I'm sorry Captain, but that is not your decision to make," Mercer replied in his calm voice which made Jonathan feel more unsettled. Didn't this man have an ounce of humanity to him?_

_"This is my ship," he told him, "My. Ship. I should damn well get a say for what happens on board!"_

_"This ship and that cargo belongs to the East India Trading Company," Mercer stated simply, but Jonathan had had enough, for he just about blew up in his face saying, "This isn't cargo! These are people!"_

_Mercer sighed, and then said, "I will be willing to let this... incident slide if you never mention this to anyone else for the remainder of the voyage. Further insubordination will leave me no choice but to put you under arrest. Is that understood, Captain?"_

_Jonathan's gaze was fierce as he breathed sharply through his nose. He wanted to break this man's jaw so badly. But he had to be smart. To act now would only provide him with that short satisfaction at the cost of everything._

_"Inescapably, Mr. Mercer," Jonathan said through gritted teeth, and roughly brushed past Mercer as he paced his way above deck. When he made it to his cabin, he threw his hat on the ground and ran his fingers through his hair, trying hard not to pull it off his head. After he had his little meltdown, he popped open a bottle of rum and tried to drown out the guilt he felt right then._

_He wasn't a slave trader._

_People aren't cargo._

* * *

_Jonathan's anger at the knowledge of what he was truly hauling plagued him for weeks. He couldn't eat or sleep and hardly spoke to anyone. The very thought of what he had been tricked into doing made him feel sick to his stomach. How dare Cutler do this behind his back! This was a monstrous betrayal by him. And to think that he was family and did this to him..._

_It had been almost two months since they left London, and Jonathan regrets ever having left. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be in this damning position he was in now._

_He knew something was going to come to a head very soon. He could feel it in the air._

_The Wench's crew had run out of water about a week before they were to land in Kingston, so they had to stop by the nearest land they could for water and resupply. It had been early evening by the time they dropped anchor near the shores of the closest land they could find, and if the coordinates were precise they were somewhere in Northeast Cuba. It wouldn't be very fortuitous for them if they were to stay there long. Who knows if they might be intercepted by a passing Spanish Galleon?_

_Mercer took some men with him ashore to procure the supplies they would need, while Jonathan stayed behind to watch over the ship. Currently he was sitting in his cabin, hunched over his desk as he tried to interpret Galileo's next clue. If the calculations were correct, the blood moon would come later that night._

_It was the only thing he could do to keep his mind off of what was sitting in the Wench's brig right now._

_But then the thought crossed his mind again and Jonathan closed the diary with forcefulness. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands and tried to keep his composure._

_In about another week, the people below would be sold off in Kingston to that plantation owner, forced to work his lands at his leisure. Jonathan couldn't understand how anyone could live with themselves doing that. Slavery was as horrid and evil of a thing as it ever was. It didn't matter if it was legal, it was a crime against nature and against God Himself._

_Jonathan didn't know how he'd be able to live with himself knowing he was complicit in this monstrosity._

_But maybe he didn't have to be. He could do something about it._

_He remembered what Maggie had told him. She said he was a good man, and that he would always find a way to do the right thing._

_He didn't even hesitate for a moment. He was going to do what was right, no matter what the consequence would be. Because he was a good man._

_Jonathan stood up and quickly hid Galileo's journal away. That could wait._

_He knew what he had to do._

_He quickly made his way out of his cabin and he found Turner swabbing the deck. Right now he was the only member of his crew that he could trust._

_"Oi, William," Jonathan called out, and the deckhand looked up to his captain._

_"Yes, sir?" he asked dutifully._

_"You know about our little problem downstairs?" Jonathan asked him, to which William gave a silent nod. He too was appalled at what they were doing._

_"What about it?" William inquired._

_"I think I know a way to solve it, but I need your help," Jonathan requested, "Can I trust you?"_

_"Of course, Captain," William answered._

_"Alright. What I need you to do is cause a distraction. Something that'll divert the attention of everyone else on the ship while we get those in the cells out, savvy?"_

_"Understood," William complied, "I'll see what I can come up with. Just say the word when you're ready."_

_"Thank you," Jonathan said, patting his shoulder, and William nodded in agreement._

_William went back to swabbing the decks like he had been, and Jonathan made his way below deck to where the brig was. He saw that there was only one soldier standing at the entrance of the door, and it was the same one who denied him entry the first time he came down here._

_"Captain, what are you doing down here?" he inquired, and Jonathan said, "Hey, what's that?"_

_He pointed at the space behind the soldier, and he turned around to look at whatever Jonathan had pointed out._

_"I don't see nothing," he said, but Jonathan had picked up a cleaning bucket that was lying on the floor near them and said, "Sorry about this, mate."_

_Jonathan then whacked the soldier with the bucket, who grunted and fell unconscious from the force of it. He knew this would be tantamount to treason, but what choice did he have?_

_He opened the door to the brig and stepped forward, seeing once more all the dark faces around him. They looked terribly underfed and sickly, which made Jonathan feel sick to his stomach once again. But he couldn't let that stop him now._

_He grabbed the keys hanging off the hook near the doorway he entered, and walked up to each of the cages and began unlocking them. He heard them make surprised sounds in their native language, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. After he unlocked the last cage, all of the slaves came pouring out of their cells and gave off hushed sounds of relief._

_"Alright," Jonathan said. He had freed them from their cells. Now what?_

_"Does anyone here happen to speak English? Preferably well?" Jonathan called out, and he saw a hand raise up in the crowd, and a deep voice say, "Aye."_

_The source of the voice came forward, and it was a tall, lanky man who looked like his nose had been broken more than once._

_"You speak English?" Jonathan asked, whereupon the man said, "Yes, very well."_

_"What's your name?" Jonathan asked, and the man replied, "Akinbode."_

_"Akinbode," Jonathan said, letting the name roll over his tongue. He extended his hand out and said, "Jack. Pleasure to meet you."_

_Akinbode said nothing, but smiled at the captain._

_"Tell your people to stay put. I need to check if the coast is clear for you to escape," Jonathan told him. Akinbode turned around and spoke in his native language towards his people, who now looked to Jonathan in hope. This was too much for him._

_He made his way above deck and saw that Mercer and his men hadn't returned, and that the remaining men on the ship were all gathered on the top deck. This shouldn't be a problem provided William created a proper distraction. He caught sight of his loyal crewman, who in turn caught sight of him. Jonathan nodded, signaling William to begin the diversion._

_William pretended to be swabbing the deck before he "accidentally" bumped into a lantern on the bow, causing it to fall and fire to spread on the top deck._

_"Fire! Fire on the deck!" William called out to the men, who were roused from their monotony over to the spreading flames trying to put it out. While that was happening, Jonathan and Akinbode were helping get everyone off the ship into the water. They took extra care with the children and the elderly, and did it with such speed that every one of them made it off the ship in mere minutes._

_Jonathan and Akinbode got off the ship and met up with the people that had run for the treeline. The two then went to the front of the large group and started to lead them through the rainforest, which soon became a swampy marshland as they continued on. Jonathan wasn't sure if they would be safe here, but he knew it was better to die free than to live in bondage._

_They followed the path along the river, Akinbode telling the people to keep the pace. Eventually, they had come far enough that they saw a most peculiar sight. There was a wooden shack sitting in the base of a tree along the path of the river._

_Jonathan eyed the residence with uncertainty, and told Akinbode to hold position until he made sure it was safe to continue. He drew his pistol and slowly approached the shack, and once he was near the door kicked it open and pointed his pistol forward._

_"I've been waiting for your return Jack," Tia Dalma said with a grin, standing before Jonathan like she had expected him._

_"Tia Dalma?" Jonathan asked aloud as he realized who stood before him, "What are you doing here?"_

_"I live here," Tia Dalma replied simply in her sultry voice, "If you would not mind, I would appreciate it if you lowered your weapon."_

_Jonathan lowered his gun slowly and then placed it back in his belt. This was becoming much too weird for him._

_"Might I ask what the occasion is that you would visit me? Did you miss me, wicked Jack?" Tia Dalma asked with a smile as if this situation were amusing whatsoever._

_"I- I-" he began, but he couldn't continue. He had just about a million questions for her and hadn't a clue where to begin._

_"You opened Bonnet's parcel," she said. It wasn't a question._

_"How did you know?" Jonathan asked._

_"I know many things," she replied, and that aura of mystery was wearing thin on his patience, "like the hundred slaves you've just given freedom. Tell me, how does that make you feel?"_

_Jonathan didn't know what to say. This woman continued to perplex him with every passing moment. Slowly, she approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder gently._

_"It was the right thing to do," Jonathan finally answered, hoping that was satisfactory enough for the witch._

_"That's good, that's good," she said, patting his shoulder, "It is only fitting for the path you've chosen."_

_"What is that?" Jonathan asked, "The path I've chosen? You said I had a touch of destiny about me."_

_"And you do," Tia Dalma said, "You've changed the lives of many people, and will do so again. Do you want to know why?"_

_"Why?" Jonathan asked._

_"Because you're a good man. Good men always find a way to do what's right, even if they don't always realize it themselves," she said. Jonathan was confused by her words. What was the purpose of all these pseudo-psychological speeches she kept giving him? To what end?_

_"I will take those you've freed under my care," Tia Dalma said, "They'll be safe with me."_

_Jonathan didn't know what to say other than, "Thank you."_

_"Just know that saving these souls comes with a price," Tia Dalma said, and Jonathan thought he detected a threat in her voice._

_"And what would that price be?" Jonathan inquired._

_"Your own," Tia Dalma replied with another wicked grin, to which Jack merely blinked, "Now go, find Galileo's next clue before you miss your chance. It's the only way you may find your greatest treasure again."_

_Jonathan didn't know what to make of any of this. What did she mean by "again?"_

_"Go, now!" she told him, and Jonathan felt compelled to comply. He went back outside, and told Akinbode and the others that they would be safe with Tia Dalma._

_"Farewell, Jack," Akinbode extended his hand, "I hope our paths cross again someday."_

_"I hope so too, mate," Jonathan took the other man's hand, and started to make his way back over towards the Wench._

_He had arrived back stealthily, and luckily no one had noticed he was gone. He checked with William to make certain, and made sure that the guard he knocked unconscious earlier was still unconscious. In order to make sure he didn't blab to Mercer about what happened, Jonathan poured a little rum on him and made sure his hand was gripped around the bottle so that he would believe he had simply gotten drunk and couldn't remember clearly._

_Jonathan then rushed back to his cabin and locked the door tightly. He heaved a sigh of relief that he had set free those people. His conscience was clear now. Worst case scenario, Mercer punishes the guard for "drinking on the job" and allowing the slaves to go unchecked. Jonathan was in the clear._

_He then saw red light coming in through the windows. Jonathan knew what this meant. The blood moon had begun.He rushed over to his desk where the diary was. He opened up the drawer and picked up the book, noticing that the ruby on the front was glowing from the light of the moon. But what's more, there was a design on the cover he had not seen before. It was a most irregular shape drawn in invisible ink. It appeared like a constellation would on a star chart, but none of these stars existed._

_It was in the shape of a misshapen trident._

_This must've been the clue Galileo was talking about._

_Before he had anymore time to think about it though, he heard the sound of Mercer's bellowing voice._

_"WHERE'S THE CARGO!?" he shouted, and he heard nervous, incoherent words from someone on the ship. Afterwards, he heard Mercer shout again, yelling, "CAPTAIN!"_

_This wasn't good. Jonathan knew he needed to act quickly before he was discovered._

_"CAPTAIN! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP!"_

_"Oh, no," Jonathan uttered. He was done for._

_He had to do something._

_Quickly, he took a glance at the constellation on the diary. This wouldn't appear again after tonight._

_He knew what he had to do._

_Jonathan pulled out his knife from his belt and rolled back his left sleeve. This was going to hurt._

_But as he heard banging against his cabin door, he had no choice._

_Jonathan began to carve the misshapen design into the inside of his forearm, wincing from the pain. It hurt like hell, but he had to do it. This was Galileo's last clue to finding the Trident, but he knew he couldn't let anyone else know the way but him. When he finished, there was blood from the inside bend of his arm to just below his wrist. It would leave a nasty scar when it healed, but that was the point. He needed to have a record of the constellation that only he could know._

_The banging continued on his door, and Jonathan knew it wouldn't keep Mercer out for much longer. After wrapping his bleeding arm with a makeshift tourniquet, he picked up Galileo's diary and went over to the back window of the Wench._

_He opened the window, gave one last look at the ruby-adorned book, and threw it into the ocean._

_Bonnet said that no one should have it. And no one would. Ever again._

_To think, he bet everything he had on the word of a pirate._

_The door finally gave way, and Mercer burst through brandishing his own gun. Jonathan turned around to face Mercer, but at the exact moment he did, Mercer fired his pistol, the gunshot striking Jonathan below his right shoulder._

_"GAAAAHHH!" Jonathan howled in pain as he collapsed onto the floor. The bullet had gone clean through him, but it still caused him immense pain. His breath picked up as he tried to cope with his injury, but it was just too great. He had never been shot before._

_Mercer came forward and took Jonathan's pistol away from him._

_"I knew I couldn't trust you," Mercer spat at Jonathan, still whimpering from the pain below his shoulder. Just then two armed soldiers came in to stand alongside Mercer._

_"Jonathan Smyth, I hereby relieve you of command of the HMS Wicked Wench, and you are under arrest for treason and destruction of property," Mercer said cruelly, "Lock him in the brig."_

_It was impossible for Jonathan to hold back his tears. The two soldiers then seized him by his arms and began dragging him away to the brig. William was on deck and could do nothing but watch his captain be taken below._

_"Mm... Maggie..." Jonathan uttered before he lost consciousness._

* * *

Jack Sparrow woke up screaming.


	17. The Black Pearl Sails Again

Carina began to stir on the log she was sleeping on. Soon enough she mustered enough energy to open her eyes, and when she did she immediately had to shut them tight again because the sunlight from over the trees was too bright.

She then felt a nasty pounding sensation in her head, and winced in pain for she had a terrible hangover. Placing a hand to her pounding head, Carina sat up slowly as she tried to wake herself up properly. The headache wasn't helping one bit.

The first thought to cross her mind afterwards was relief, though of course not from the throbbing pain in her skull. She still had her eyes shut tight, and for a brief moment she thought that she would be waking up to find herself back in her bed in St. Martin, getting ready to start the day pouring drinks at _The Rusty Anchor._ Coming up with clandestine ways of continuing her education. Continuing to openly show her skepticism to anything pertaining to the supernatural, which was surely utter nonsense. Existing as she always had been.

But after a few moments, the details begin rushing back to her. The bank heist. The blood moon. Henry. Jack Sparrow. Scarfield. Being sentenced to hang for witchcraft. Salazar and his ghostly crew. The pirates of the _Dying Gull._ Wearing the clothes of a pirate. Learning swordfighting from Jack and then getting completely drunk.

" _Damn,"_ Carina cursed, her hand still placed on her head in an attempt to stop the throbbing pain, but she squinted her eyes open to see the palm trees around her. So it hadn't been just some bizarre dream after all.

She felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach, her eyes widening as she felt bile rise up in her throat. Turning to the side towards the trees, Carina threw up on the grass next to her, and then had to wipe her mouth dry of the filth with her already dirty sleeve.

"Alright, that's it. No more rum for me," Carina spoke to herself. Her mother would be disappointed in her.

As she began to rub her temples, Carina looked at her lap and saw that Jack's coat was draped over her body like a blanket. She suddenly became curious why this was. Had he given it to her for the night and she didn't remember?

She smiled lightly at the thought. That was kind of Jack to do, even though he was a pirate.

Then a thought occurred to her, and she turned her head to the right to find that Jack was lying parallel to her on the adjacent log, his leather tricorn hat pulled down over his eyes. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully at first glance, but after a few moments of observation Carina saw that Jack was anything but peaceful.

She saw that the fingers on his left hand were twitching, along with his shoulders and legs. His head was moving quickly from left to right, and his mouth appeared to be moving, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying.

Carina was starting to get nervous as she watched Jack thrash in his sleep. She figured that he had to be having a nightmare of some sort. Should she wake him up and bring him out of it?

"... Jack?" she asked hesitantly, slowly taking off Jack's coat off of her legs. She then turned herself towards Jack's direction and stood up as gingerly as possible, one so that she wouldn't startle Jack any further, and two so she didn't make the pain in her head any worse.

Carina began to slowly walk towards Jack, one step at a time, until she got close enough that she could hear what was coming out of his mouth.

" _No..."_ Jack unconsciously muttered, his breathing picking up quickly, " _No... please don't... no... don't go..."_

"Jack?" Carina asked again. She was starting to get really nervous for Jack now.

" _Mag, no... don't... don't leave me..."_ Jack spoke again, his voice sounding more strained by the moment, _"You... you monster..."_

"Jack, are you alright?" Carina asked, and slowly she reached her arm out towards his shoulder so she could shake him awake.

However, the moment her fingers made contact with his shoulder, she realized that she shouldn't have.

Jack's eyes snapped open at once, and he began screaming at the top of his lungs as he stared upward at the morning sky, causing Carina to recoil in fear at this outburst.

The pirate's rage-filled eyes darted to look in her direction, and without warning Jack raised his left arm and began to swing it towards her. Carina gave off a high-pitched shriek when she did so, but she was able to catch onto Jack's wrist in time before it came in contact with her face. Throwing himself upward, Jack threw his right arm at Carina but she caught that one too. Jack, breathing heavily, wrestled to get out of Carina's grasp, all the while his eyes were darting in every direction away from her as he shouted, " _I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"_

"Jack, calm down! It's me!" Carina shouted in Jack's face, causing the pirate to cease struggling against her grasp and looked her directly in the eyes. The look of anger was still present in his eyes, but his breathing had slowed down and he had made eye-contact with Carina.

"It's me, Carina. Remember?" she asked in a gentler voice, though her grip on his wrists remained firm. Slowly, Jack's look of rage started to disappear, and after a few more moments, it was replaced by a rather odd look. His eyes were locked on hers, and then it seemed like he was scanning her face like he was searching for something.

Almost like he recognized something.

She had seen this look before, back when they first met in the astronomer's shop in St. Martin. He had had the same peculiar gaze then as he did now, and Carina didn't understand why. They had never met each other before then.

"It's just me, Jack," Carina spoke again, unsure as to what he was doing just then and feeling uncomfortable while he did it, "You're alright."

Jack looked away from Carina, holding his head down in shame over what he just did. As he did so, Carina gently let go of Jack's wrists, who in turn slowly retracted them towards his lap. His gaze was now fixated upon the ground, staring at the remains of the fire they had built the night before.

Jack let out a heavy sigh, and Carina took a few steps back as she watched the sullen pirate hang his head down in silence, taking off his hat while he did so. She didn't know what had caused him to react like that, nor was she very interested in understanding why, but she couldn't help but pity him. He usually had this confidence and cheeriness about him wherever he went, but here she could see that there was something clearly wrong with him. He was obviously mad to begin with, but this was something else. Something inside him that he's kept bottled up for a long while. Something that was eating away at the pirate's soul and wouldn't stop until he was bereft of either life or feeling.

Carina doesn't know what compelled her, but she walked over closer to where Jack was sitting and sat down right next to him. She then leaned onto Jack's left shoulder, thinking that her presence would provide some comfort. She doesn't understand why she does it; she hardly even knows the man. But she recognizes that the man is in pain like some wounded animal, and so she does what she can to alleviate his suffering.

Jack doesn't look in her direction, but Carina knows that he feels better with her presence. She can tell by the way his heartbeat began to slow down soon after resting her head against him.

Carina raised her arms and wrapped them gently around his torso, quietly saying, "You're alright."

Jack doesn't respond, but he does raise his free hand up to where Carina's arm is wrapped over his chest and gives it a light, reassuring pat. Carina smiles lightly at the response after so many moments of tense silence, and then her eyes look down to see that his right sleeve had fallen back, revealing his pirate branding and the tattoo of the sparrow flying just on the horizon.

" _Carina..."_ Jack finally speaks, his voice almost a whisper. She looks up towards him, his face still in the opposite direction. She waits a moment to see if Jack will continue with what he has on his mind.

" _Ca-ri-na..."_ Jack repeats, letting the name roll over his tongue. Though, not like he was waiting for her to speak, just that he was repeating her name and emphasizing the syllables. Puzzled, Carina lifted her head off of Jack's shoulder and asked, "Yes, Jack?"

"That's a pretty name," Jack speaks aloud, though Carina is uncertain if he's directly speaking to her. He still seems like he's a little out of it. Nevertheless, she blushes at the comment and says, "Um... thanks?"

Carina releases her arms from around Jack and places them back at her sides, her cheeks still red from the compliment. At least, she _thinks_ it's a compliment. You can never really tell with Jack Sparrow.

"Not a very common one, is it?" asked Jack, who still wasn't looking towards her when he spoke.

Carina raised an eyebrow, not exactly sure what his line of thinking was.

"No, it isn't," Carina says. She had always been proud of her name, but no one had ever asked that question of her even if it was a rather uncommon one.

"That's good," Jack says, "That means you're unique. Something different about you that sets you apart from other people. Makes you special, you know?"

"Yes, I suppose it does," Carina confesses. She liked how her name made her stand out in a crowd, especially because that's how she felt about herself her whole life. She always felt like she was different than other people her age, and she knew that's because she wanted to achieve things beyond her limits. That's why she wanted to be an astronomer, so that she could break those limits for herself. Be as free as the stars in the night sky.

"It suits you," Jack said, "You're an outlier. Your name means that you don't conform to the rules of society, that you know deep down you're different than all the 'Marys' and the 'Jennifers' and 'Susans' and whatnot. It means that you're not confined to the shackles of what other people define as 'normal.' You're a risk-taker, you're an artisan, you're everything that you want to be because you're you."

Carina smiled and turned away, for now her cheeks were a bright crimson. She hadn't expected him to get all deep just then, but she was glad that he was around. This was a man who knew exactly what he wanted out of life, and she appreciated what he had to say. As much as she was still mistrustful of him, Carina had to admit that she and Jack weren't that much different from each other. It was kind of creepy how much they were alike, actually.

"I'm not quite sure that's what my mother had in mind, but thank you," Carina spoke, hoping her tone suggested a playful nature. She heard Jack chuckle at her words, and then he said, "What about your father? I don't think you've ever mentioned him."

"I haven't," Carina replied, and then she became somewhat serious. She remembered that she hadn't intended on sharing much about herself with Jack or the other pirates lest something should happen and they try to find the Trident without her. "He, uh... he died before I was born."

"Oh," Jack said, his voice grim, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Not your fault," Carina said, "He loved stargazing, though. That's how my mother got the idea for my name."

"Sounds like a clever woman. I like clever women," Jack spoke aloud with a grin, but Carina didn't really want the conversation to be focused on her parents.

Then, a thought occurred to her, and her eyes widened at the realization. How could she have forgotten?

"Henry!" Carina exclaimed, and she turned towards Jack, who had now decided to turn towards her, "We need to find Henry and get off this island!"

"Oh bugger, you're right," Jack said. He too was concerned for Henry, and he knew that they had to find him and then meet up with Gibbs and the rest of the crew on the other side.

Quickly, Jack and Carina got up on their feet, grabbed their possessions, and took off away from the camp as they began to search for the young Turner.

"Where is he, anyway?" Jack asked.

* * *

" _Wakey-wakey..."_ a greasy Irish voice spoke, and Henry was certain that it was just a nightmare at first. Soon, he felt a stinging sensation from his wrists, an ache in his shoulders, and felt a massive amount of pressure in his feet. His head was all swimmy and it was difficult to discern exactly what was going on.

" _Come on, boy, wake up,"_ he heard the voice spoke again, and his vision was blurry as he attempted to force his eyelids open. There was a figure standing in front of him, but he could barely make out the outline of it being a man that stood before him.

"Hey!" the voice yelled, and then Henry felt a series of swift smacks against both of his cheeks. His eyes snapped open to see that Pig Kelly was standing in front of him, flashing his yellow teeth with a sinister sneer. Kelly then reached out and grabbed hold of Henry's jaw and said, "Well, well, well! Look who decided ta come back down ta Earth, boys! The pipsqueak and 'is buffoons!"

As Kelly let go of his jaw, Henry only realized just then that he couldn't move his arms, and saw that he was hanging by his wrists from a very long piece of rope that was attached to a high ceiling above him. It looked like he was hanging inside a barn of some sort. He then saw that Kelly was standing on a tall stool so that he would be at even-height with the suspended Henry. He struggled for a minute in a vain attempt to escape, and Kelly just laughed at him.

"Oh! Seems the pipsqueak is a feisty one, boys! Perhaps he needs ta _cool down_ some," Kelly snorted.

As Henry was trying to decipher what he said, Kelly descended down from the stool and gestured his hand in a forward motion, and soon one of his goons came forward holding a bucket of something. By the time Henry realized that it was water, the man tossed the bucket towards him as he was soaked with cold water.

"GAAAHHH!" Henry exclaimed, not expecting the water to be that freezing especially in Caribbean climates. He felt the water dripping down his clothes, and spat some that had gotten close to his mouth.

"You know what? Wake the other two as well," Kelly ordered, and two more men came forward with buckets of their own. One tossed the water at Henry's right, and Henry looked to see that Pintel was hanging right next to him. His eyes snapped open in surprise and shouted "Bloody hell!"

The other man tossed water towards Henry's left, and Henry saw that Ragetti was now awake and drenched with water as well, only he exclaimed, "No! I don't want to paint the fence again!"

Henry directed his focus back on Kelly, who was standing before the three of them, holding his hands behind his back.

"Look, I'm not a violent man... usually. And I don't want ta have ta waste me time with you lot," Kelly began to speak, "but justice... needs to be served."

"I don't even know who you are!" Henry shouted at him, "We have no quarrel with you, now let us go!"

"Oh, believe me, I want nothin' more than ta let bygones be bygones, but Jack Sparrow owes me, see," Kelly explained.

"Then why don't you take your beef up with him, huh? Why the rope?" Henry demanded.

"Because you're the perfect bargaining chip, boyo," Kelly said, "I know you lot came with Sparrow, and now he's here on me island. He's gonna come lookin' for ya at some point or another, though I can't guarantee you'll be in the best... c _ondition_ when he finds ya," he finished with a laugh.

"This don't sound good," Ragetti uttered under his breath, and then Kelly continued, saying, "Although, ya could make this easier on yourselves if you just tell me where he is. Do that and you're free to go."

"But... we don't know where he is," Henry answered, "We got separated because the Royal Navy was chasing us. I don't even know if he's still alive."

"The Royal Navy? On me island?" Kelly looked horrified, "Damn, it took us so long ta find a place where the Redcoats wouldn't think ta look. We'll have to relocate."

"How about a deal?" Henry began, "We have a ship, we can guarantee you safe passage from this island. Cut us down and we'll get out together."

Kelly looked to contemplate the issue for a moment, but then he looked at Henry with a sinister gaze and said, "No can do, sonny. I won't ever sail with Jack Sparrow if me life depended on it. That man is the biggest lout I've ever laid eyes on. I'll take me chances fightin' off the Redcoats."

Henry sighed in defeat. That was one avenue of escape that was closed off. He needed to find another, and soon.

"Since ya can't help me find Sparrow, perhaps ya could tell me what this is," Kelly said as he pulled an arm out from behind his back, revealing that he was holding a small, leather-bound book in his grubby fingers.

Galileo's diary.

"I dunno," Henry lied, for he knew that he couldn't let someone like Kelly find his way to the Trident. He would abuse it's power for certain.

"Then why did ya have it on ya, I wonder?" Kelly asked with a wicked grin, "What makes it so special?"

"Have you tried reading it? Books are meant for that, you know," Henry said, feeling brave. But he soon realized it was better to keep his mouth shut than talk smack to the guy who held his life on the line.

"I'm afraid none of us here can, unfortunately," Kelly replied with a snarl, "But you look like a bright enough lad. Maybe you could illustrate us?"

"I think the word you're looking for is 'elucidate,'" Ragetti commented, followed by Pintel shouting, "Shut up! You're not helping here!"

"Both of you, quiet!" Henry shouted, trying to resume control of the situation. His attention returned to Kelly, and said, "I can't read either. I picked that book up on our ship. Thought I'd try learning how at some point, you know?"

He knew it was an outright lie that not even someone as thick as Kelly would believe him, but there was no way he was going to tell him about the Trident of Poseidon. He promised Carina that no one else would know of the diary's existence, but for the moment Kelly didn't know what kind of book it was, so he was good in that regard.

Kelly looked at Henry with a piercing gaze, though not one he was easily intimidated by.

"You have ten minutes," Kelly said, "You can consider changing yer mind and telling me what's in this book, or..."

He tilted his head back, raised his fist, stuck out his tongue, and made a snapping noise with his mouth. Afterwards, he chuckled viciously.

"A pity that Sparrow's debt to me has to be paid with your lives. I would've preferred less bloodshed," Kelly pretended to look distraught, "He does that to people constantly, trading in people to save his own skin. Surely you know this, right?"

Henry stayed silent on the matter. His mother and father had told him that Jack was untrustworthy, but for whatever reason he had refused to believe it. He just hoped his faith in the man wasn't ill-placed in this instance.

"We'll be back, just _hang tight,"_ Kelly laughed as he picked up the stool, and he and his men exited the barn and locked the door behind them.

"Great, now how are we supposed to get out of here?" Pintel complained, "Why didn't you just tell him about the book?"

"Actually, what even _is_ this book?" Ragetti asked, "What's so important about it?"

"I'll tell you about it _after_ we get out of here," Henry explained.

"What do you mean?" Ragetti inquired.

"I mean, that Kelly seemed to forget to check that there's a knife in my boot," Henry replied with a grin, wagging his right leg, and the two pirates got giddy expressions on their faces.

"What an idiot," Pintel commented with a smile.

"The only problem is, I can't reach it like this. One of you will have to do it," Henry said, and both Pintel and Ragetti looked at him skeptically.

"You do it, Pin. You're closest," Ragetti said, but Pintel didn't look too pleased about it and said, "Are you mad? I don't have that kind of flexibility!"

"Maybe if you did more sit-ups, you could," Ragetti said, unaware that this just made Pintel even more angry.

"Why you-" Pintel began, but then Henry interrupted with "Alright then. Ragetti, you do it."

"Ugh, fine," Ragetti moaned, and then Henry began to twist his body towards Ragetti, holding out his right leg towards him.

"Alright, when I say 'go,' I need you ready to catch the knife with your feet. Ready?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, sure," Ragetti replied.

"Okay... GO!" Henry exclaimed, lifting his leg up high enough so that the short, black knife would fall out of its sheathe in his boot. With lightning-fast reflexes, Ragetti extended both of his feet out and caught the blade between them.

"Woo! I did it! Yes!" Ragetti cheered, and then Henry said, "Excellent. Now cut yourself down and find some way to get us out of here."

Ragetti nodded, and then he turned his legs upward with the knife still between them, and began to saw through the rope holding his arms to the ceiling of the barn.

Once he had cut through the rope, Ragetti fell onto the floor of the barn with an audible thud, and looked upward to see Pintel and Henry still suspended in midair.

As he got to his feet and was prepared to cut down the pair of them, all three of them heard the sounds of the barn door unlocking, and their attention was focused on the door which was now swinging open.

"Uh-oh," all three of them said at the same time.

When the door opened, Kelly saw Ragetti standing in front of him, holding the knife while Henry and Pintel were still tied up.

"Oh, hello there," Ragetti waved at him and tried to force a smile through his teeth, but Kelly looked livid enough to tear through all of them with his bare hands.

"THEY'RE ESCAPING!" Kelly bellowed, and he lunged for Ragetti, only for the one-eyed pirate to evade his tackle as the Irishman fell to the ground with a thud.

Ragetti looked up to Henry and Pintel, and Henry shouted, "Run! Just go! Find Jack!"

Ragetti didn't have time to respond before he had to evade the gunshots coming from Kelly's men. Soon enough, he ran away from the barn and into the jungle.

"Hold yer damned fire!" Kelly ordered, getting back to his feet, "He's off to find Sparrow. With any luck, he'll come to us."

Kelly turned to face Henry and Pintel, who were starting to panic after what just happened.

"It's off to the gallows with you lot," Kelly said with a sinister grin.

* * *

"So, I've been thinking," Carina began, following behind Jack.

"Thinking? About what?" Jack asked as he led the pair of them through the jungle.

"When you asked me about my name, about how it makes me stand out," she began, "It got me thinking that you had the same idea about yourself, Jack _Sparrow."_

" _Captain_ Jack Sparrow," he corrected her, seemingly forgetting about the point that Carina was trying to make, "It isn't that hard to remember, lass."

"That's another thing, why do you always insist on being referred to as 'Captain' wherever you go?" Carina asked.

Jack looked over his shoulder and gave her an odd look, and then said, in a matter-of-fact way, "Because I _am_ a Captain. I earned that title, so I deserve the recognition for what I've achieved, savvy?"

"I suppose," Carina said, but then she realized she got sidetracked again. How come she kept falling into that trap of his?

"Anyway, I think it's fairly obvious to anyone that 'Sparrow' isn't your real name, isn't it?" Carina inquired with a hint of confidence to her voice.

Jack kept on walking, and then he halfheartedly replied, "I am not at liberty to say at the present time."

"Hmph, and I thought you said pirates were all about liberty," she teased.

"Indeed, and I'm at liberty to say that my name is Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please," Jack retorted, though he didn't sound like he was offended or anything. Rather, he didn't want to talk about it right now.

"But same principle, right?" Carina asked, "You're an outlier, like me."

"Might I ask what the point of all this is, missy?" Jack stopped and turned to face her, "As much as I would love to roleplay Socrates with you, we have a eunuch to rescue, a trident to locate, and a Spaniard to kill, savvy?"

"All I wanted was to kill time, Christ," Carina said, crossing her arms, "I thought you of all people would understand that-"

"HELP! HEEEEEELP!"

Jack and Carina looked towards where the screaming came from, and saw a figure rushing through a dense thicket towards them. Acting instinctively, Jack pulled out his pistol and Carina pulled out her sword, readying themselves for what was to come.

Out from the thicket burst Ragetti, who stopped in place and gave off a high-pitched squeal at seeing the weapons pointed towards him.

"Oh good, it's you," Jack spoke, holstering his gun. But he knew something was still off, "Last I checked, there were two of you, and you two are incapable of splitting up for more than a moment."

Ragetti was panting heavily, placing his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath, and he tried to explain what happened.

"Irish... barn... rope... that way..." he managed to get out, pointing in the direction he just came in.

Jack and Carina looked at Ragetti with confusion at what he had just said. They turned to face each other, and Jack asked, "Any clue as to what that haphazard, incoherent mumbling of barely discernable English meant?"

Carina shook her head.

Ragetti had managed to muster up enough energy, and then said, "They've got Pin and the Turner lad up in this barn back over that way!"

"You mean the Redcoats?" Carina asked.

"No, some Irish git by the name of Kelly," Ragetti explained.

" _Pig_ Kelly?" Jack recoiled at the name, "Terrific."

"Let me guess: yet another person that you've managed to piss off that wants you dead," Carina stated simply, "You seem to have a black book of that happening."

"You have no idea, love," Jack said.

"They're gonna hang 'em both unless you come to settle your debt!" Ragetti elaborated, "Come on, let's go!"

Ragetti took off back the way he came, and Jack and Carina followed after him.

"What do you mean Henry's a eunuch?" Carina asked.

* * *

Henry and Pintel were escorted to the clearing just outside of the barn. They had their arms tied behind their back, and were now standing on top of stools beneath the exceptionally long branch of a tree. Kelly's crew of buccaneers, which amounted to about sixteen men including Kelly himself, had tied two pieces of rope to the branch above them and were now in the process of fitting the nooses around the necks of their prey.

"Whatever happens," Pintel began, "I just want you to know... I don't really know who you are and I don't much care."

"Likewise," Henry replied, though he only indulged the stubby pirate to keep his own nerves in check. There was no knife to help them this time.

"I mean, you seem like a decent enough lad and all, but-" Pintel began, but Kelly interrupted and said, "Shut up, you two! You're givin' me a bleedin' headache."

"Oh, sorry if we're causing you distress!" Henry mocked, "It's not exactly the most pleasant of things having a noose tied around your neck. _You_ give it a go, why don't you?"

"You're not in a position to give me orders, boyo," Kelly retorted, "The only reason why your scrawny little neck hasn't been snapped yet is so Sparrow can come to me."

"And you really think that he'd come and stick his neck out for us?" Henry sarcastically inquired, "It's clear you don't know the man at all."

"Is that so?" Kelly asked, eyeing the stool that Henry was standing on.

"All I'm saying is that you can't expect Jack to just walk over here out in the open, outnumbered, outgunned, with no possible-"

"PARLAY!"

All heads in the area turned towards the source of the shout, and before them stood Jack, Carina, and Ragetti.

"We invoke the right of parlay, and by extension that would also apply to the two upstanding gentlemen that you have awaiting execution at present," Jack spoke in a calm in confident manner. Ragetti did his best to keep his cool, and Carina had her hand resting atop the hilt of her sword.

"Jack! Carina!" Henry exclaimed, laughing a litte, "Oh, I am _so_ glad to see you two!"

He then looked directly at Carina.

"What are you wearing?" Henry asked with an odd gaze, to which Carina bluntly replied, "It's a long story."

"Hate to break up the reunion, but can we get on with the parlay?" Kelly impatiently asked, "I've got better things to do today."

"Indeed," Jack began, stepping forward closer to Kelly, and Kelly himself came closer as well.

"It seems that time and tide have brought you to Hangman's Bay so you can settle your debt to me, is this so?" Kelly asked.

"That's what this place is called?" Jack quipped, "I thought it was 'extremely difficult to navigate and meant to purely frustrate' bay."

"Don't screw with me, Jack," Kelly said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, but it is in my _mandate_ to screw with you, Pierre," Jack flashed his teeth at the Irishman, only testing the latter's patience further, "But rest assured, I know that we'll come to an agreement that will be mutually beneficial."

"Fat chance of that happenin'," Kelly snarled, "But, a parlay's a parlay, and so we must honor the code. What be your terms, Captain Sparrow?"

Jack grinned some more at the Irish pirate, and said, "You and your lot cut down the aforementioned upstanding gentlemen from the nooses and allow myself, the lad, the belligerent homunculus, this creep with the glass eye, and this girl to depart from your island safely."

"And in exchange?" Kelly asked, "Don't forget you still have a debt to me."

Jack chuckled, "As you may or may not already be aware, the Royal Navy has landed on the shores of your little isle. No doubt they're combing the place as we speak and will inevitably find you here. I can promise you and your men safe passage from here, and then we'll drop you off in Tortuga once we've lost the trail of the Navy, and from there, I will reimburse you for the silver I borrowed from you."

"You mean stole," Kelly bluntly commented.

"You're having a negative attitude about this, mate," Jack placed a hand on the Irishman's shoulder, "Help me help you."

But Kelly only snorted at Jack's offer, brushing his hand off his shoulder and saying, "No can do, Jack. The lad already told me about how you brought the Royal Navy to me doorstep, and there's no chance in hell I'm going to sail under you of all people. So, no deal."

Kelly quickly drew a dagger from his belt and held it up against Jack's throat, and Jack's eyes widened in panic.

"Wait!" Carina exclaimed, and Kelly turned his attention over to her and said, "Ah, missy. I had almost forgotten you were here."

"What if we could offer you something much more valuable than silver?" Carina elaborated, but Henry, already detecting what she was about to say, said, "Carina, don't do it!"

"Henry, it's going to be fine. If I don't, then he'll kill us," Carina reassured him.

"What be your offer, girl?" Kelly inquired, taking the knife off of Jack's throat.

Carina cleared her throat, and then said, "The Trident of Poseidon."

Kelly snorted again, and then he turned to his men and said, "Get a load of this, boys! The girl hopes to tempt us with a children's story!"

Kelly's men laughed heartily, but Carina remained firm. She said, "I'm an astronomer. I know how to reach it in time before the route vanishes again for decades."

"Do you now?" Kelly asked, "And why should I believe you?"

"I'm telling the truth, I swear it," Carina reaffirmed, but Kelly was still skeptical.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Kelly said.

Carina looked towards Henry who was looking at her nervously while being strung up next to Pintel, over to Jack who looked anxious for her to do something. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do next.

"Alright then," she said, drawing out her sword from her scabbard and holding the edge of the blade to her throat.

"Carina, no!" Henry cried out.

"Oh good God, girl! What are you doing!?" Jack called out in a state of panic.

"You must be insane, lass," Kelly laughed.

"I'm the only one that knows how to reach the Trident," Carina declared, "In less than twenty-four hours, the route will completely vanish unless we depart today. You're right, you've got no reason to believe me. But consider for a moment that I am telling the truth, would you be willing to risk that just for your pride over some squabble over mere silver? This is the Trident of Poseidon we're talking about! You could rule the seas with it! You could destroy entire navies at will, and make yourself the most fearsome pirate in the Caribbean and beyond! How does that sound to you?"

Kelly looked to be considering it for a moment, and asked, "What be your terms, missy?"

"You let me, Jack, and the rest go safely, and Jack assumes command over you and your crew for the time being. After we find the Trident, you let us all go safely, and the Trident is yours. Do this, or I swear I will slit my own throat and the Trident will never be yours. Do we have an accord?" Carina stated, gulping and only just now registering the full scope of what she was doing. Where did this sudden insane confidence come from? This wasn't like her at all.

She looked over to Henry and Jack again, who still looked deathly terrified that she would consider such an extreme action. But she knew this was the only way they could escape their wrath for the moment.

Kelly walked towards her, chuckling while he did so. When he got close enough to her, he said, "You're completely mental, girl. I like that. You know, you remind me of Jack somewhat. You're both as equally mad."

Carina kept her composure, and her grip on the hilt of her sword was ever so tight.

"What's your answer?" Carina asked, to which Kelly extended his meaty hand and said, "Agreed."

Carina took his hand with her free one and they shook for a brief moment. Afterwards, Kelly took a step back, and Carina sheathed her sword. Henry, Jack, Pintel, and Ragetti breathed audible sighs of relief, though Carina herself was still shaken with what she had just done.

"Cut them down," Kelly ordered, and his men cut down Henry and Pintel's nooses and the bonds that held their arms behind their backs. Pintel rushed over to join at Ragetti's side, and they started to talk aimlessly about something trivial. Henry sprinted over towards Carina and embraced her hard. Carina returned the courtesy and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh my God, what the hell were you thinking!?" Henry asked her, still not over what she had been prepared to do.

"I couldn't just let you hang," Carina answered, "You saved my life from the gallows, now I saved yours. We're square."

They held on tight for another few moments before both decided to break away. When they did, they saw that Jack was standing beside them and he was looking directly at Carina.

"You've got guts, Carina," Jack said very solemnly, "But don't you _ever_ do something as reckless as that ever again, you hear me?"

"Fine," Carina said, and she felt uneasy at Jack's serious tone of voice. She knows what she did was far beyond sane, and thus this sort of reaction was expected, but that doesn't mean she liked seeing him reacting so sternly.

"Thank you, though," Jack said after a few moments with a light smile, and Carina returned the courtesy.

Their moment was interrupted by a rude cough, and Jack, Carina, and Henry turned to face Kelly who said, "I don't wish to interrupt the moment, but perhaps we should get back to your ship so we can find the Trident as per our deal."

"Indeed," Jack began, "And as I recall, you and your men are under my command, savvy?"

"Yes," Kelly reluctantly responded, and Jack walked up to him with his confident swagger as he looked over towards his crew.

"Not exactly my top pick, but it'll have to do," Jack commented, "Now, if you'd be so kind as to follow me, we'll make our way back to my ship, and we can depart from-"

_BOOM!_

Everyone turned their heads towards the deafening noise, and Jack looked in shock at who was standing before him.

"Jaaaaack! We meet again!" Barbossa's voice boomed just as loud as the gunshot, and Jack saw that he was pointing a smoking pistol in the air. He also saw that he was accompanied by his own crew of pirates, which was smaller than Kelly's but nevertheless still as threatening. He saw that Murtogg and Mullroy, the two Royal Marines-turned-pirates, were standing at Barbossa's sides, and Barbossa handed his emptied pistol over to Murtogg. In the group of pirates standing before him, Jack saw that Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton were within Barbossa's ranks, but Jack knew it was best to approach this one step at a time.

"Ah, Hector!" Jack exclaimed with a grin, "So good to see you again! Nice to see you've gone back to your old look. Let's just say that, for the record, that privateer's rag didn't suit you at all, especially that wig. I've always liked that wide hat of yours, you know? Adds a sense of dramatic flair about you-"

"Ah, shut yer trap, Jack," Barbossa looked annoyed, "We've only just met again twenty seconds ago and I already want to kill ya."

"Come, come, Hector. It's all in good fun," Jack flashed a grin, "Hey, I've noticed you've got quite the spring in your step. Has your leg grown back?"

Jack then noticed the cane that Barbossa was using to walk looked most unusual, and then asked, "Doing well for yourself I take it? Monopolizing piracy and all?"

"Business couldn't be better, Jack," Barbossa said, limping closer, "Except for now, of course."

"Ah, that's a pity," Jack said, "Speaking of business, we just got done negotiating a deal with this gentlemen right here-"

Before Jack could properly introduce Kelly to Barbossa, Barbossa raised his unusual cane and pulled the trigger of its blunderbuss component, killing Kelly and sending him flying back a few feet, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

Carina cupped her hands over her mouth in horror as she watched Barbossa kill the man she had just negotiated their deal with, and Henry was taken aback by such violence coming without warning.

Jack sighed calmly like Barbossa's sudden killing was a trifle thing, and said, "Hector... would it kill you to show a _modicum_ of restraint for _once_ in your life?"

But Barbossa didn't answer that question, for Murtogg and Mullroy had come up to his sides, and Mullroy asked, "So I guess we'll be returning to Salazar with Mr. Sparrow then, Captain?"

"What?" Jack asked, frozen in place, "You mean... _you_ were the one that led Salazar to me?"

"I did what I had to do to protect my control of the seas," Barbossa admitted, though he maintained his composure, "He promised to spare me and me crew in exchange for you. I'm sorry, Jack, but I had no choice."

Jack was livid at this point, but Barbossa spoke again before he could react rashly, "But I've come to realize that he'll kill us all whether we bring you back or not."

"We're _not_ going back now?" Murtogg inquired, to which Barbossa answered, "Nay, that would spell our doom. Now," he directed his attention back at Jack, "Is it true? You've found a route to the Trident of Poseidon?"

"What would you be wanting with that?" Jack asked.

"I know it be the only thing that can stop that ghostly Spanish butcher, and with it I'll gut the dead that stole my control of the sea," Barbossa replied.

"To answer your question, yes we have. But as much as I love your plan," Jack spoke, "There's no way the _Dying Gull_ can outrun the _Silent Mary_ and the Royal Navy."

"Um, Captain?" Gibbs voice spoke up, and he worked his way through the crowd of pirates to get to Jack.

"What is it, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked, raising a brow.

"Well, you see... um..." Gibbs began, before Jack said, "Out with it, man."

Gibbs gulped, "The winds caused the _Gull_ to crash along the shoreline. There's no chance of fixing it the state it was in."

Jack sighed and brought a hand to his eyes.

"Fine then, any alternatives? Because I don't know what we can use to outrun that wretched hull of a ship," Jack commented.

"Ah, but there be one, Jack. The fastest ship to ever sail the seven seas," Barbossa spoke up with a smile, to which Jack looked confused, " _The Black Pearl._ Master Gibbs told me that it survived Blackbeard's attack, and now rests in a bottle that you carry with you."

Jack's eyes widened in shock, and he looked over to Gibbs who gave him a sheepish look.

"Have you got it on you now?" Barbossa asked.

"I do," Jack asked, pulling the bottle out of his coat where the blackened pirate ship sat miniaturized in the water inside it.

"Aha!" Barbossa exclaimed, "I knew she somehow survived! The _Pearl_ always does!"

"Wait," Henry spoke up, and he came forward to look at the _Pearl_ resting inside the bottle, "That's the _Black Pearl?_ I've heard stories but I've never seen it before!"

"That's a fully-functional ship?" Carina asked, incredulous, "I'm definitely going mad, aren't I?"

"But how are we going to get it out?" Jack asked, "I've been trying to find a way for years and could never find one."

"That's simple, Jack," Barbossa said, quickly unsheathing his large broadsword, "We use the power that put it in the bottle to get it out. You remember the power of Blackbeard's sword, don't ye?"

"I do," Jack said, recounting the time he was shanghaied onto the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ in the search for the Fountain of Youth.

"Set it down and I'll get it out," Barbossa said, and carefully Jack set the bottle down on the ground. Could this truly work? Could he really get his _Pearl_ back to the way it was?

"By the power of Triton's sovereign blade," Barbossa began, raising the Sword of Triton high up in the air, "I, Hector Barbossa, hereby release the _Black Pearl_ to her former and rightful glory!"

Barbossa swung down hard with the Sword of Triton, and cracked the surface with it's tip. Everyone looked down in anticipation as Barbossa had a look of glee about him, awaiting the moment when the _Pearl_ would resume it's normal size.

But nothing happened.

Soon, Barbossa's pleased expression vanished followed by great confusion as the bottle just sat on the ground, doing absolutely nothing.

"Is that it?" Pintel asked.

"Maybe we need to speak softly to it and give it words of encouragement," Ragetti suggested.

"I don't understand," Barbossa looked confused, sheathing his sword and picking the bottle up off the ground, "This should've worked."

"Maybe it wasn't the right way?" Murtogg inserted.

"Or perhaps some sort of spell needed to be cast or something," Mullroy spoke up.

"I don't know what to say gents, this should have worked," Barbossa looked concerned, turning the bottle in his hands as the _Pearl_ retained it's tiny shape.

"Could be just the cold," Ragetti suggested, to which Pintel gave him an odd look and said, "Ships don't work like that."

"Well, full-size ships don't get trapped inside bottles often, do they?" Ragetti shot back.

Jack sighed and looked away in disappointment. Yet another dead end. Maybe they could come up with another solution for getting off. He looked around towards the direction of Kelly's barn to see if there was anything useful, and all he saw was an old rowboat and a pen with goats insi-

That was it.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called out, an idea suddenly formulating in his head, "What all did you bring from the _Gull?"_

"Well, Captain, we brought the rest of those ships in bottles, we brought our weapons, some rum rations, that crossbow we found, the trumpet-"

"That's it!" Jack said, "Everyone, follow me to the shoreline! You lot," he pointed over towards Kelly's men, who Jack presumed they were his now on account of the fact that Barbossa killed Kelly many moments ago, "I need three goats from that pen."

* * *

The combined group of Barbossa's and Jack's crews had (finally) reached the shoreline on the opposite end of the island. It was midmorning at this point, so they still had plenty of time to find the Trident left. As per his orders, Jack's crew had brought along three goats from Kelly's barn along with the rowboat so they could make it out to the ship once they had it.

"Can someone explain to me what Jack needs all this stuff for?" Carina asked, unsure why Jack needed goats of all thing to release a ship.

"Well, Carina," Gibbs began, "It was an idea Jack had a long time ago to get the _Pearl_ out of the bottle that he never got to realize. Now that there's a need, he's going to do it."

"A waste of time if ye ask me," Barbossa commented, "The sword should have worked."

"Hey, I don't mean to change the subject," Henry started speaking directly to Barbossa, and then the pirate looked towards the boy who said, "but you're _the_ Hector Barbossa?"

"The one and only, Mr..." Barbossa inquired.

"Turner, sir. Henry Turner," the boy said, to which Barbossa looked over him in surprise, "My parents were Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann."

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar," Barbossa managed to say, though to be honest he didn't know what to say to him given the history he had with his family.

"I would just like to say thank you for officiating my parents' marriage, and also they still haven't forgiven you for strapping my grandfather to a cannon," Henry said, and Barbossa realized that this was becoming extremely awkward. Hoping to distance himself from this conversation, he walked with his blunderbuss-cane over to where Jack was, who was currently tying an hourglass he had in his pocket to the underside of the crossbow he had.

"So, what be in your head, Jack?" Barbossa asked, wondering what Jack's plan was.

"My thinking was," Jack began, pulling the string back on the crossbow, "that perhaps the magic sword isn't enough. What do all ships need to function outside of it's structural components?"

"... The sea?" Barbossa answered.

"Bingo," Jack smiled, "Now, the _Pearl,_ please."

Barbossa fished the cracked bottle housing the _Pearl_ out of his waistcoat and handed it over to Jack, who slid it into place along the flight groove where an arrow would normally go.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called over, and he saw his first mate struggling with Cotton and Marty to keep the goats in place, "The trumpet!"

Gibbs walked away from where the goats were holding the trumpet in his grasp. He came up alongside Jack and said, "Ready when you are, Captain."

"I'm ready now," Jack said, lifting up the crossbow and taking aim out towards the open ocean. After a few moments of hesitation, Jack exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger on the crossbow.

The bottle went flying through the air, and while it did Gibbs began to play _British Grenadiers_ on the trumpet he had. Almost immediately upon firing, Jack dropped the crossbow onto the ground, extended his arms, and started wiggling his fingers in the air like he was going to cast a spell or something.

"Does he normally do this?" Carina asked aloud to no one in particular. Everyone was just as confused as she was.

The bottle landed onto the surface of the water, and after a few moments it began to seep through the crack in the bottle. After it filled up, the bottle and the _Pearl_ began to sink to the bottom.

Nothing came up.

Jack looked distraught. His whimsicality at trying to release the _Pearl_ turned to anguish. His face was frozen, his gaze fixated on where the _Pearl_ had landed, never to come back up again.

" _No..."_ he finally managed to get through his mouth. He couldn't believe it. This could not be the end for the _Pearl_ , it just couldn't be.

It was impossible.

"She was a fine ship, she was," Barbossa sighed, and at that moment Jack collapsed onto his knees. He was absolutely destroyed at that moment. Everything he had ever done for that ship, to keep her afloat and to keep her his, it amounted to nothing. The _Pearl_ was everything to him, and now it was no more. A tiny speck of nothing lying at the bottom of the ocean. Barbossa didn't understand what this ship meant to him, how could he? Did he know the lengths Jack went to so he could keep her? All that he had sacrificed? Everything that Jack is, it is because of the _Black Pearl._

He had lost the only piece of _her_ that he had left in this world.

Jack lowers his head onto the ground, and Barbossa swears he can hear him crying. But he never saw any tears.

Henry and Carina look solemn as they see Jack collapse in anguish, feeling terrible for not knowing how they can help.

But then they hear the rumbling.

The rumbling just beneath the surface.

"Captain! Look!" Gibbs exclaims, pointing a finger out towards the water. Slowly, Jack lifts his head off the sand and looks out to the water, and he sees that there's something rising up.

"What?" he asks aloud, getting to his feet. After a few more moments, he sees something rise out of the water.

A soaking wet Jolly Roger, a skull sitting atop crossed swords.

Jack's despair turns into excitement again, and soon he sees the crow's nest, and then the black sails, and then the masts, and then the weather deck and the lanterns and the anchors and the mermaid figurehead and the sixteen broadside cannons.

The _Black Pearl_ had returned, drenched in seawater and at it's original massive size.

Jack stood in wonderment with his mouth agape. His ship was back.

Barbossa gave off a heart laugh, the crews cheered, and Henry and Carina stood in bewilderment.

"The _Black Pearl,"_ Henry spoke aloud, "The fastest ship in the Caribbean! It's here!"

"It's beautiful," Carina said, her mouth agape, and Henry looked over towards her, "A tiny ship just grew out of a bottle into a huge one, and it's beautiful. Either I'm completely insane, or this is quite possibly the most extraordinary dream I've ever had."

"Well, you're not dreaming, and I'm quite sure that you're not _completely_ insane," Henry said, and Carina laughed. Then a thought occurred to Henry just then, and he said, "Oh! Before I forget, I picked this up off of Kelly. He took it off me, but I got it back."

Carina saw that Henry was holding Galileo's diary out towards her, and she took it with a smile and said, "Thank you, Henry."

"My pleasure," Henry said, and the two continued to stare at the newly restored _Black Pearl._

Barbossa was continuing to stare at the _Pearl_ when he placed a hand atop of his skull-handled pistol at his belt and said, "You know, there be room for only one Captain."

Before he could draw, though, Barbossa heard the sound of a hammer being thumbed back next to his left ear. His eyes slowly looked over to see Jack pointing a pistol to his skull, and the latter pirate was laughing at the former's misfortune.

"Oh no you don't, Hector," Jack began with a grin, "Not this time."

"Damn," Barbossa cursed. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut to begin with.

"Did you think I didn't learn my lesson after all these years?" Jack quipped, "I know I can't trust you, Hector. You brought Salazar to me, and you've stolen my ship so many times that I've lost track."

"I think you mean _my_ ship, Jack," Barbossa said, to which Jack would say, "I think my crew would disagree with you."

Soon enough, Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, Pintel, Ragetti, and all of Kelly's former men had their weapons drawn and pointed at what was left of Barbossa's crew, and it was evident that Jack's supporters outnumbered Barbossa's two to one.

Jack looked down to Barbossa's belt, and he saw that, somehow, he had gotten his compass. He didn't know how and he didn't care to ask why he had it, but Jack pulled it off his belt and said, "I'll be taking that back, thanks."

"You'll regret this day, Jack Sparrow," Barbossa threatened.

"I regret most of them already, _Captain_ Barbossa," Jack said, and he turned to face Barbossa's men and said, "All of you sail under me now! Any objections and I will leave you behind, savvy?"

"Well, I don't suppose we got much of a choice, do we?" Murtogg said rhetorically.

Pintel and Ragetti came forward and relieved Barbossa of his pistol and the Sword of Triton, with Pintel saying, "Sorry, Captain. Captain Sparrow's orders."

"It ain't nothin' personal, it's just... well, we're still not over that whole incident with Blackbeard," Ragetti said, "I guess it is kind of personal, then."

They seized his arms, and Barbossa knew there was no resisting capture for this time. For now, he would have to go along with what Jack said.

* * *

Everyone had taken turns riding out to and from the _Black Pearl,_ loading everyone and everything they could onto the ship. Barbossa's crew had been forced to assimilate to under Jack's command, but after they came to realize that it was because of Barbossa that they were put in Salazar's crosshairs in the first place, they were more complacent to Jack being in command instead.

Soon, everyone was aboard the _Pearl,_ and some last-minute preparations were being made before they could leave. Pintel and Ragetti had tied Barbossa to the foremast so as to ensure that he wouldn't try anything foolish, and Jack was inspecting every last inch of the _Pearl._

To think, it had been twenty years since he last set foot on this ship. Everything looked to be in top condition. Jack supposed that Blackbeard had repaired the ship before he shrunk it down so it would be a more pleasing collectable. He inspected every sail, every line, every cabin, every cannon, every deck-nail, purely based on how much he missed the ship. The powder reserves were still dry, and fortunately there was lots of ammunition they could use should the need arise.

Everything looked to be in perfect condition until he inspected the helm, and he noticed that the swivel cannons near the helm looked different. On closer inspection, Jack saw that the one-barreled swivels that had always adored the ship had been replaced by a strange, six-barreled device.

"Oi," Jack called out as he walked over to where Barbossa was tied up, "What have you done to me swivels?"

"Those?" Barbossa inqured, "Ah, yes. Shortly after we destroyed Davy Jones, we made some improvements to the arsenal of the ship. The swivels there be a prototype designed by an English gunsmith named James Puckle. It can fire six shots before reloading instead of just one, though it was useless against Blackbeard I admit."

"Good to know," Jack said, "And hey, if you behave, you might get a spot on my crew. With luck, you could be my quartermaster."

"I ain't nobody's quartermaster," Barbossa complained.

"Well, I can't make you first-mate because Mr. Gibbs is in that role, and there is no way I'm letting you be captain again," Jack said, "But hey, you can at least enjoy the ri- AH! Monkey!"

Jack froze as he saw Jack the Monkey, Barbossa's pet undead capuchin, descend down onto Barbossa's shoulder and give off it's animal shriek.

"Filthy beast, go away!" Jack shouted as he tried to shoo the creature away. But Barbossa didn't look fazed, and said, "Jack! Oh, I missed ye, me boy! Did ye miss your daddy? Did ye? Oh, yes you did!"

"Ugh," Jack looked disgusted, "I'll leave you two to play catch-up, while I get us underway, savvy?"

Barbossa ignored him, content to spend time with his newly reunited pet. Jack Sparrow rolled his eyes and made his way back to the helm, and said, "Mr. Gibbs! Prepare to make way!"

"Make way!" Gibbs ordered the rest of the crew, "Captain Jack Sparrow is at the wheel!"

Jack smiled as he gently put his hands on the smooth, rosewood wheel of the ship. Feeling the wood beneath his hands brought back so many memories, and for the first time in years he felt as happy as he could ever be. He was finally reunited with his ship after so long. She was his once more, and no one could take her away from him. Not ever again.

"My precious _Pearl,"_ Jack said, thinking that the ship would know her true master had returned to her.

Henry and Carina came up and stood at Jack's sides, and Henry asked, "Are we ready to go?"

"Indeed we are, Mr. Turner," Jack replied, "Indeed we are. Full canvas!"

The sails dropped on his word, and the wind started to carry the _Black Pearl_ across the ocean once more.

"Homestretch, Jack," Carina said, and Jack couldn't help but agree as he steered the ship out towards the horizon.

Soon this would all be over. Soon.


	18. The Price of Freedom

The _Black Pearl_ glided swiftly over the vast blue ocean away from Hangman's Bay. It was approaching afternoon, and Jack figured that based on the position of the sun at the current time of the day, they were heading in the same direction they were before they had to flee from Salazar and his ghostly crew to land. Much to the worry of Carina, they had lost a day's worth of travel to find the Trident, but luckily they had already gone a long way on the _Dying Gull_ that it shouldn't take much longer until they found the island where the Trident was. Better still, they had the _Black Pearl_ now, which was the fastest ship in the Caribbean, so the odds were in the crew's favor.

Henry and Carina were astonished at how fast the ship was going. The _Gull_ was so ragged and diminutive that it was a miracle they came as far as they had with it. But the _Pearl_ was unlike anything they had ever seen. It's blackened, burnt state did not at all hinder it's speed as it plowed through the sea, leaving large trails of white foam behind it. The pitch-black sails, no matter which direction the wind was blowing in from time to time, continued to propel the ship forward at an unparalleled speed.

For Henry, this was a dream come true. He had heard stories about the _Black Pearl_ from his mother and the books he read as a child, but seeing it with his own eyes was an experience like no other. He could picture it now, his mother and father at his age aboard this ship, going on many adventures with Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew of pirates. In his excitement, he started to recount the stories of what his parents had told him about their encounters with Jack to Carina.

"... and then my father's leg gets caught up in the netting with the powder barrels," Henry elaborates to Carina while the pair of them are standing at the bow of the _Pearl,_ "So, he pulls out his knife and starts to cut the rope around his leg. Then my mother's got this rifle and she's prepared to shoot the barrels, but the force of the kraken's tentacles knock her down and the gun out of her hands. My father cuts himself free, and just as the barrels start to fall, Jack tossed a pistol to my mother and she shot the barrels and stunned the kraken."

"Fascinating," Carina remarked, listening intently to what he had to say. She was still a little skeptical about the validity of the fantastic tales he was telling, but nevertheless she was slowly but surely opening her mind up to the supernatural forces in the world.

They heard a hearty laugh from behind them, and Henry and Carina turned to see Barbossa was laughing whilst he was tied to the foremast, Jack the Monkey resting atop his shoulder.

"What's so funny?" Henry asked.

"Do ye honestly think that's what happened that day?" Barbossa asked, "I know for a fact that it was Jack who shot at the kraken, not Ms. Swann, and with a rifle I might add."

" _Mrs. Turner,"_ Henry corrected, "And no, she told me that she's the one who shot at the kraken with a pistol. Besides, you weren't even there."

"Aye, we'll see about that. How's about a little wager to make things interestin', Mr. Turner?" Barbossa suggested.

"Alright, I'm game. A shilling?" Henry inquired.

"Better make it two," Barbossa flashed his teeth.

"You're on, old man," Henry replied with a smirk.

"Lass," Barbossa turned his head to Carina, "Would ye mind getting Pintel and Ragetti for me?"

"Sure, I guess," Carina replied, though she didn't exactly like being the errand girl for someone else's betting. Nevertheless, she walked towards the center of the ship and tried to get the two pirates' attention.

Barbossa turned his head as far as he could and watched as the girl walked away, and then he looked back towards Henry and asked, "You know, there's somethin' about that girl that strikes me as oddly familiar."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked, curious as to what Barbossa had in mind.

"I dunno, just a funny feelin', I guess," Barbossa remarked, "Does she have a brother that I killed?"

Henry raised an eyebrow, finding Barbossa's statement to be rather odd. Because he couldn't think of anything else better to respond with, he said, "I- I don't think she ever said anything about a brother."

"What's her name again?" Barbossa asked.

"Carina Smyth," Henry replied, "Smyth spelled with a 'y,' I think."

Barbossa's face retained it's inquisitive expression, but Henry did notice it go stiff for a brief moment, and then a devilish grin formed upon his face and Henry saw the pirate's yellow, scurvy-ridden teeth.

" _Smyth_ , ye say?" Barbossa asked, though his grin suggested that he had something in mind beyond the scope of their conversation, "Not a truly common name if ye ask me, though I might have known some people by that name."

Henry looked at Barbossa with a perplexed expression. He had no idea what about what he had said had put the pirate into a pleasant mood. Henry quickly realized that it was best not to indulge Barbossa any longer on this subject.

Just as if on cue, Carina walked back over to the bow area with Pintel and Ragetti following close behind.

"You be wantin' us for sumthin' then, Captain Barbossa?" Pintel asked.

"Ah, yes gents, me and the Turner boy here were having a little chat here about things that happened, and we were wondering if ye could recount the day the kraken attacked the Pearl for us," Barbossa inquired, "Namely, what stopped the beast from killing the crew."

"Well, there was that cannon fire towards the start that made it angry," Ragetti began, "and then we loaded powder barrels into a net and Captain Jack shot it with a musket."

"Ha!" Barbossa exclaimed, "I knew I was right. Alright, lad, pay up."

Henry barely registered what Barbossa said just there, for he was still trying to wrap his head around what made Barbossa so pleased a few moments ago. What exactly was he playing at here?

"Lad?" Barbossa asked after a few moments, "The money, if ye could."

Fumbling around his pockets, Henry pulled out two shillings and extended his hand. Jack the Monkey then reached out with his tiny primate hand and snatched the two pieces from the boy's grasp. He placed them in Barbossa's coat pocket, and the pirate chuckled while he did so.

"I got one up on ye, didn't I boy?" Barbossa inquired.

"I suppose I should've seen that one coming," Henry said, his eyes going up to face Barbossa's.

Barbossa merely laughed in response, "Nay, I didn't expect you to. You'll find that there's a lot of things ye don't know about Jack Sparrow."

As he finished his statement, Barbossa winked with his left eye, away from the view of Carina, Pintel, and Ragetti. Henry just stood there, and he didn't know what to make of all of this.

Henry quickly walked away from the area where Barbossa was tied up, and then started to lean over the port side of the _Pearl_ as he tried to gather his thoughts. Carina saw him suddenly take off, and followed after him wondering what was up.

"Something the matter, Henry?" Carina asked, and Henry turned his head to face her and said, "I'm alright."

Truth was, he was still puzzled at what was going on. What about Carina had caught Barbossa's eye?

"You know, at this rate we should have the Trident in no time," Henry said, quickly shifting the subject away from him.

"I hope so," Carina said, leaning against the side with Henry, "Otherwise, we risk never being able to find it again. I know now you need it to save your father, and I want to help you do it."

"Thanks, Carina," Henry said, and then there it was again. There was this feeling that came around in the past few days of knowing Carina, and Henry wasn't quite sure what it was. It was clear to him that she was both brilliant and beautiful, but there was something beyond that. Something he couldn't easily describe in words.

Hoping to steer clear of _that_ subject as well for the time being, Henry looked around him at the masts and sails of the Black Pearl and how the afternoon sun reflected off of them.

"She's a magnificent ship, isn't she?" Henry asked aloud.

"Yes, she is," Carina replied, staring at the components herself, "You want to know something weird, Henry?"

"What?" Henry asked her.

"I don't know what it is, but this ship... it feels like I've been here before," Carina said, "Like, in another lifetime maybe. It seems silly, but... it feels like I'm on my father's ship and we're off to find the Trident together. If only he could be here now..."

This caught Henry off guard.

"I thought you said your father was an astronomer?" Henry asked, surprised at this new bit of information.

"Well, not exactly," Carina began, "Astronomy was his passion and he dedicated his life to finding the Trident, but he made his living as a sailor for the East India Trading Company."

* * *

Jack was still at the wheel. It was midafternoon now, and he was still overjoyed at helming his beloved _Pearl_ once more. He missed the feeling of the smoothed wooden wheel beneath his fingers, the spray of the ocean cooling his face and engulfing his senses, the way the ship moved with such unnatural speed, the sound of the wind whipping against the black sails, and just being in control of his life for a change.

For the first time in years, Jack Sparrow was happy.

"Oh, my darling..." Jack spoke aloud, caressing the wheel like he would a woman's cheek, "I'll never leave you again. Never."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gibbs standing at his left side, raising an eyebrow at his Captain's behavior.

"Go find your own ship, judgy," Jack shot at his first mate with a furrowed brow.

"It's not that, Captain," Gibbs began, "I feel a frightful bad shift in the winds."

"What do you mean? We've got the _Pearl,"_ Jack tried to justify. As far as he could see, Lady Luck was on their side at the moment.

"Aye, that we do, but... it's this business with Salazar that's spellin' ill with me," Gibbs said, "You don't even know if the Trident will kill him, nevermind that we'll find it in time."

"We _are_ going to find it, mate," Jack reassured his close friend, "And once we do, that Spanish git will be wiped clean from the face of the Earth and we live to fight another day."

"But that's the problem, Jack. I _don't_ think we'll live to fight another day," Gibbs began, causing Jack to look at him with concern, "It's just this feelin' I have in me gut, that what luck we have left's been spent already."

"Is this out of a fear of Salazar, or a lack of faith in me?" Jack questioned sternly, "I know what I want, and I know what I have to do."

"If that be true, then use your compass to find the island. You don't need the girl's star charts," Gibbs said.

"Ah, now I get it," Jack said, stepping away from the wheel towards Gibbs for a moment, "It's a lack of trust in the _girl,_ isn't it?"

"I have to be frank, she doesn't inspire much confidence in me, what with you readily trusting her in your current state-of-mind and all," Gibbs said, but immediately afterwards he wish he hadn't.

Jack scoffed, "My current state of mind... you know, for the first time in years, I'm actually doing something worthwhile. I don't feel worthless for a change and feel like I have purpose. I'm in control of my ship and of my destiny. I am _back,_ Mr. Gibbs, and if that somehow hasn't registered through that mutton-chopped head of yours, we have plenty of lifeboats."

Gibbs stood in a stunned silence for a moment, registering what Jack had just said to him. After a lengthy pause, Gibbs spoke up and said, "Aye, Captain. My apologies. But I am tired and tired of always bettin' on bad odds with you, and with nothin' to show for it. We're a dyin' breed Jack, and you know it. It's not just Barbossa; more and more pirates that care for an idea beyond themselves are disappearin'. I want to have done something meaningful with my life. I don't want to be known as a mere footnote in a history book."

"Neither do I, Joshamee," Jack said, placing a hand on his shoulder, and Gibbs gave a half-hearted smile to his Captain. Afterwards, he turned and walked down from the helm and towards the middle of the ship, pulling his hip flask out of his vest and began to drink.

Jack sighed. He didn't mean to lose his temper with his first mate and closest friend, but for the longest time he had been in this rut and had finally managed to climb out of it. The _Pearl_ was his once more, Barbossa could not interfere, and the Trident of Poseidon was within his reach. Things could not be better.

But then he considered what Gibbs had said, about his mind still being erratic. He admits to himself he's placing an unusual amount of trust in Carina, a girl he met less than a week ago, but for the life of him he can't understand why. What reason did he have to trust her? Why was he so confident that she was being truthful about the Trident when he didn't even know her whole name? Had he perhaps been so far gone that he was desperate at this point to achieve any sort of satisfaction, true or not?

Perhaps it was due to the fact that she reminded him of-

_No. Don't be silly, Jack. She's gone, and there's nothing you can do about it. Going after the Trident is just jogging your memory and you're seeing things._

Yeah, that was it. He was just being silly was all, nothing to fret about.

For the first time since taking it back from Barbossa, Jack pulled the compass off of his belt and held the closed navigational instrument in his palm. Sometimes he forgot just how useful this thing was, and how all other compasses paled in comparison as it only gave you one, unmoving direction.

North.

The Brightest Star-

_Shut it, Jack. You're being stupid now._

Jack slowly lifted the lid off the compass and looked down upon the device. How could he ever have betrayed such a priceless valuable, especially when it had always pointed him to what he wanted most?

Well, everything except-

His own mental reprimand was cut short by the fact that the red needle inside was spinning in circles, not pointing in one constant direction. This had happened before, back when Jack had been in debt to Davy Jones and he didn't know what he wanted. But Jones was dead now, and Jack had the _Pearl_ back under his control. The only thing he should want right now is the Trident of Poseidon so that he can kill Salazar before he kills him.

But the needle kept on spinning.

Jack closed the compass' lid and his eyes for a brief moment, and started to mentally chant _I want the Trident, I want the Trident, I want the Trident_ as much as he could, thinking deeply on what he wanted.

When Jack opened the lid of the compass again, the needle was still spinning.

Maybe it wasn't working because he had betrayed it. But if that were the case, what could he do to regain its loyalty?

Jack sighed, and then placed the compass back on his belt, took the _Pearl's_ wheel again, and continued to sail into the distance.

* * *

Hours had passed, and the early signs of darkness had started to creep up as the sky was now a brilliant shade of magenta and the golden sun began to set on the horizon.

Henry had decided to help scrub the cannons below with some of the other crew, leaving Carina with no one to talk to for the time. She made her way above deck, and took in the view of the sunset, appreciating the beauty of such a thing.

She looked towards the stern of the _Pearl,_ and saw the encroaching darkness behind them, along with the first few stars to appear this evening.

There wasn't much time left.

Carina strode her way over towards the helm where she saw Jack still at the wheel. He had refused relief from everyone who approached him about taking over piloting duties, thinking that the best hands were his own. Of course, he hadn't been in command of the _Pearl_ for near twenty years now, so she figured he was just making up for time lost.

Nevertheless, she knew that they needed to find the Trident and soon. She needed to make sure they were following the correct course otherwise they'd never be able to find the route again.

When she reached the helm, Carina said, "Hello, Jack. How are you faring?"

"Just marvelous, Carina, just marvelous," Jack replied with a smile, "At this rate we'll be able to find the Trident in no time. We're making double speed that we were the days prior. You did say five days, right?"

"I did," Carina answered, "I must say, this ship is something else, Captain Sparrow."

"Oh, you have no idea," Jack said, "Stick around a while longer after we get the Trident and you'll see what she's capable of."

Carina swallowed. Her plan still was to distance herself from pirates once the Trident was found, but she had to admit that she would miss this adventure she was on. Sure, it wasn't exactly her ideal scenario, but the past few days had been enlightening to say the least (especially in regards to the supernatural), and she had made some new friends along the way.

"I would be flattered, but this life isn't for me," Carina said.

"I keep tellin' you you've got the fortitude for this sort of thing, lass," Jack said, "Aren't you going to consider it at the very least?"

"No," Carina tried to say firmly, but there was a moment when she felt like something caught in her throat when she said it.

"'Tis a shame, really," Jack said, "I'd have thought for sure you of all people would want to be free."

"It's not that, Jack, it's just..." Carina sighed.

"Just what?" Jack pressed.

"Less than a week ago, I was serving drinks at a tavern, getting by on my own while trying to become an astronomer, and now here I am standing on a pirate ship raised from a bottle, having been wrongfully accused of witchcraft, and being hunted by the Royal Navy _and_ ghosts while trying to find the legendary weapon of the Greek sea god," Carina stopped to take a breath, "Let's just say this is _not_ how I pictured my life would turn out."

Jack laughed in response, and then said, "Life rarely works out the way we want it to, lass. That's why it's life."

"Hmph," Carina replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the rail of the helm. She looked up to see that the sun was halfway down now. More stars had revealed themselves, including the constellation that would take them to the island.

"Can I have a go at the wheel?" Carina asked, craning her head towards Jack, who in turn gave her a look of quizzicality and concern.

"Why?" he asked as if she had something nefarious in mind for his beloved _Pearl._

"Captain, you and I both know that I'm the one that knows the way to the Trident," Carina said, straightening herself up, but Jack still didn't look like he was ready to hand over the wheel so readily to her.

"I promise I won't cause any damage," Carina said, walking over towards the wheel and placing her left hand on one of the handles.

Jack stood there for a moment, looking from Carina to her grasp on the _Pearl's_ wheel. A part of him felt afraid of giving up control of the _Pearl_ , because he felt that if he did that he would lose her again. But at the same time, he knew that if he didn't, he could very well lose any hope of finding the Trident of Poseidon, and with it goes the only means he had of stopping Salazar.

"Fine," Jack said after a few moments, letting his grip on the _Pearl's_ wheel go very slowly and very reluctantly. He stepped aside as Carina rolled up her sleeves, placed her right hand on the opposite part of the wheel, and stepped in front of it. The _Black Pearl_ was now under her control.

Carina turned the wheel slightly to port, and then straightened it out again once she got into the direction she wanted to. She appeared to be doing it with relative ease, Jack noted.

"Have you ever helmed a ship before, lass?" Jack inquired.

"Uh, yes, actually," Carina replied, "My uncle took me sailing a few times when I was a little girl. Sometimes when the weather and tide were good enough, I stood on top of a stool and he'd let me steer the ship for a few minutes."

"Sounds very lovely," Jack noted, smiling at the thought of Carina as a child attempting to steer the wheel of a ship. He vaguely recalls something like that from his own childhood, when he remembers trying to steer his father's ship near Madagascar.

That had been long before he ran away from home. Before he had met _her._

"He also taught me some of the parts of the ship, though I must admit I'm a pleb when it comes to nautical terminology," Carina confessed.

"Really? Someone as bookish as you couldn't figure it out?" Jack joked.

"Sailing wasn't really my forte," Carina defended, "Besides, my uncle died before he could show me more. The next time I went on a ship, I was a passenger bound from London to Port Royal."

There was a heavy silence following that, and Carina exhaled deeply through her nose.

"Oh," Jack said solemnly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," Carina said, "He and my mother never really got along anyway, not since my father died. They were brother and sister, you see."

"Can I asked what happened that caused a riff, or is that overstepping my boundaries?" Jack asked.

"Well," Carina began, "I think she felt he was responsible for my father dying, and whenever he came to visit she would hardly speak to him. But I know that my father died searching for the Trident, and I never hated him for that."

"You've certainly done a better job at that than me," Jack said, his mind drifting back towards when he was an angry youth, all the feelings of neglect and embarrassment he once felt in regards to his own father.

"So," Jack said after a few moments of silence, "are there parts of a ship that you can identify?"

"A fair few, I'd say," Carina spoke, pointing her finger out towards different sections of the ship, "This is the wheel, where we're standing is the helm, behind us is the stern, that column of wood right there is the main mast, the one in front of it is the foremast, that area there is the bow, and... that's port and that's starboard, yes?"

Jack looked where she was pointing, and saw that she had identified port as "starboard" and starboard as "port."

"Actually," Jack corrected, raising his finger, " _that_ would be port, and _that_ would be starboard, savvy?"

"Oh," Carina said before laughing at her own mistake, "I guess I still have much to learn then, don't I?"

"In time, you'll get it," Jack remarked, laughing with her, and then he started looking out into the distance and noticing that the sun had completely gone down, and the sky was beginning to be lit up with thousands upon thousands of stars which glistened across the now-black seas. The crew had decided it was high time to start lighting the lamps so they could see the ship around them.

"It's a beautiful sight isn't it?" Jack remarked, but Carina didn't respond. He turned his attention back towards her, and she saw that she was now holding a small, leather-bound book in her hands and staring at the pages inside inte-

Jack froze.

He knew that design. The faded brown leather. The ridges on the front cover. An open gap in the front where something once lay.

The last he saw of this book, it was at the bottom of the ocean.

And now it was in Carina's hands.

_No. No, that couldn't be it. It can't be. It's not possible. I sunk the cursed thing._

Without a moment's notice, Jack reached his arm out and snatched the book from Carina's hands.

"Hey! What are you doing!? Give that back!" Carina shouted at him, but Jack wasn't listening to her. He continued to stare at the cover of the book he now had in his grasp. He turned it over in his hands multiple times, observing every stitching and every page, just to make sure that he wasn't going mad at this very moment.

But he wasn't.

This was Galileo's diary.

How had she gotten it?

"Where did you get this?" Jack asked in a low voice, his tone dead-serious and never once taking his eyes off the book.

"It's mine, give it back!" Carina demanded, extending her arm out towards Jack. But Jack didn't move a muscle.

"No..." Jack spoke, "it's mine."

"Like hell it is!" Carina continued to argue.

"This is the diary of the astronomer Galileo Galilei," Jack began, turning towards Carina but his eyes still locked on the diary, "within it he gives a detailed account of his life's work and his research in finding the Trident of Poseidon. On the cover was a ruby, red as blood, and I would not soon forget it. This book was sinking to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Cuba the last time I saw it. So I will ask you once more, girl..."

He lifted his gaze to meet Carina's, and he saw that there was a level of fear in her blue eyes.

"Where. Did. You. Get. The book?" Jack paused for emphasis, and awaited Carina's response. But with every moment that she didn't respond, Jack felt his temper rising inside and didn't know how long he'd be able to keep it inside.

"That book was left to me by my father," Carina finally managed to blurt out, her hands on the wheel starting to shake, "He was a man of science and sought to claim the Trident of Poseidon."

"Your father, eh? Look what good it's done him," Jack spoke with bitterness in his voice, "He's dead as well as a thief."

At that moment, without warning or hesitation Carina's right fist made contact with Jack's jaw, sending his face in the opposite direction. Jack was caught completely by surprise, and he began to rub at the pain in the left side of his jaw. Any more force and she could've broken it.

"Don't you _dare_ speak about my father like that!" Carina bellowed, "He was a better man than you'll ever know!"

Jack slowly turned his head towards Carina, still rubbing his jaw. But it was apparent that anger he had built up inside was beginning to boil over.

"You apologize for that, right now!" Jack shouted fiercely, to which Carina shouted back, "No! I will not have the good name of my father be defiled by the mouth of a filthy pirate!"

Carina tried to make a grab for the diary, but Jack held his arm back to prevent her from getting it.

"Give it back! That diary is my birthright!" she shouted at him, "My mother gave that to me when I was just a girl!"

"I don't care!" Jack said coldly, "This book is mine, and I'm taking it back! Do you know what I lost in pursuit of the damn Trident!? _Do you, girl!?_ "

"I lost my father!" Carina shouted at him, "He _died_ for this!"

"I don't know who your father was," Jack spoke in a lower tone than before, but the anger was still present, "I don't even know who you are."

Carina took a sharp breath.

"Carina Smyth," she said proudly, "Daughter of Jonathan and Margaret Smyth."

Silence.

Dead silence.

Jack didn't say a word.

Or move a muscle.

His heart stopped beating for what felt like an eternity.

But his weathered, brown eyes were locked onto her ocean blue ones.

And that's when he finally saw it.

Saw _her._

She looked so much like him.

Except for the eyes.

Those were _hers._

_No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no._

It isn't true.

It can't be true.

It _can't_ be true.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Carina asked, her frightened expression not going away from her face.

Jack was brought out of the trance he was in, but his eyes remained locked on hers.

On her beautiful, blue eyes.

"Carina," the name escapes his lips, almost a whisper, as its true meaning dawns upon him, "The Brightest Star of the North."

Carina just kept staring at Jack, her expression unmoving, as she eventually said, "You know your stars?"

Jack's face remained in the state of shock he was currently in, and then managed to get out, "I'm a pirate. I always know how to find my way."

Galileo's diary slipped out of his grasp and onto the deck floor near them. Carina saw this and picked the book up, placing it back inside her makeshift pouch at her side, and was surprised to see that Jack didn't much care about the book then.

He tried to back away, but his legs felt like they were made of lead and he could hardly move away. Carina then looked away from Jack back out towards the sea before her as she handled the _Pearl's_ wheel.

Jack continued to stare at her as he made his way off the helm towards the starboard rail. But with every step he took down the short steps, it felt like he was about to buckle under his own weight and collapse right onto the deck.

It's not possible. There's no way it can be true. It's some sort of depraved joke, isn't it? It has to be.

Jack starts breathing heavily through his mouth as he makes his way to the side of the ship, placing both of his hands along the rail and looking out into the blackness of the evening. He saw some clouds in the distance, and he could hear the thunder from all the way off.

He feels sick to his stomach, and for a moment he thinks he's going to throw up all over his deck. His mind still trying to piece together what had just happened.

_Jonathan Smyth._

That was the name of a dead man.

Dead in all but body.

Who now roamed the world with a different name.

He doesn't want to believe it. It's ludicrous and he knows it. He wants to deny it because there is no possible way that it is true. It just _can't_ be.

Jack's eyes drift down to the compass at his belt. Dare he risk it?

With sweat clinging to his face and his heart beating out of his chest, Jack takes the compass from his belt, and slowly opens the lid.

The needle is not moving in rapid circles. Instead, it's pointing in what would be Southeast on a normal compass.

But this isn't a normal compass.

Jack slowly turns to his right, until the compass moves from "Southeast" to "North."

He then looks upward. He sees Carina standing there at the wheel, eyes on the horizon. The compass is pointing right at her.

It was pointing true North.

Closing his compass, Jack stood with his mouth agape as he continued to stare at this girl that he had never met until a week ago. A girl that had amazed him with her brain and her skill. A girl who was beautiful beyond compare.

It was at this moment that Jack could not deny the truth to himself any longer.

_She was his daughter._

Jack was fairly certain he had a heart-attack at that moment. As the realization of who, and what, she really was set in, he felt his legs give out from under him, and Jack had to grip onto the starboard rail to pick himself back up.

He pulled himself to his feet, and had to avert his gaze away from his d- _her,_ until he could get a grip on himself.

Jack Sparrow wasn't a father. That wasn't him. He's a pirate and a rascal and a selfish scallywag that never cared for anyone but himself his entire life. There was no way he was anyone's father, especially not a wonderous creature such as her.

But Jonathan Smyth was a father.

_That_ part made even less sense.

How could her parents possibly Jonathan and Margaret Smyth if...

Unless...

_Cutler lied. He lied about Maggie. He lied about everything. He kept the truth from me._

Jack turned himself to look up towards Carina. She wasn't facing him, but he could see her piercing blue eyes from where he was.

They were Maggie's eyes. Full of love and warmth and everything good in this world.

But in her eyes, Jack could also almost see the icy, cold, greyish-blue eyes, full of anger and contempt, that had once belonged to Cutler Beckett. Her uncle, he figured.

There was no denying that this girl was his. But _how?_

Cutler had lied to him about Maggie. She must've been pregnant when Jack left. And he lied to his face about it. To discourage him from any hope of coming back.

Jack never knew he even had a child.

He had ventured far and across the globe, travelled to long and forgotten islands, found cursed treasure, fought against a Kraken, discovered the Fountain of Youth, encountered mermaids, escaped from Davy Jones' Locker, fought the _Flying Dutchman_ during a maelstrom, seen all manner of white beaches and glorious sunsets, and seen more matter of the bizarre and supernatural than any sane person would ever see during their lifetimes.

She was the most beautiful and terrifying thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

Jack should've been with her growing up. He should've been with Maggie throughout her pregnancy, been there to support her during birth, staying closer to home to raise their daughter together, watching her grow up, taking her over to school, celebrating birthdays and Christmas together, and giving her a bright and secure future.

But he hadn't been with her.

Jack had been off in the Caribbean and beyond, pirating and doing all other ill-manner of things, all to aggrandize himself. He spent time running up debts with cutthroats, drinking himself senseless, enjoying the pleasurable company of tavern wenches, thinking that the only thing he loved in this world was the _Pearl,_ and always trying to run away from his problems.

But his past had finally caught up with him in the most unexpected of ways.

_He had a daughter._

His life suddenly had meaning. The past few years, he's been searching for purpose, and now he's discovered he has the greatest purpose of all.

Jack rolled up his right sleeve, looking down upon the sparrow tattoo and the pirate brand beneath it. He pulled back the right side of his shirt to see the two marks where bullet holes had torn through his flesh. And then, slowly, he rolled up his left sleeve and he saw the irregularly-shaped, self-inflicted scar.

It's the Trident. More specifically, it was the route to find it.

He pushed all memory of the Trident out of his mind after what happened, and subsequently forgot what this scar meant.

He had only acknowledged it once, twenty years ago, to Elizabeth. Barbossa had left them marooned on Rumrunner's Isle whilst he took Will back to Isla de Muerta. She asked if there was any truth to the stories of him. She doubted that he had ever faced adversity in his life prior.

He showed her his scars. He said there was no truth at all.

" _Maggie..."_ Jack speaks in a hoarse whisper to himself, " _Maggie... I'm sorry..."_

He closes his eyes and he finally remembers.

He remembers it all.

* * *

_"Where is he?" Beckett asks the sentry in the hallway._

_"Down the hall, third cell on your left," the sentry replies, and Beckett steps towards the identified cell._

_There's a foul odor that makes him cringe. Kingston's prison was befitting of who it held._

_"Open the door," he orders the guards standing outside his cell, and one of the guards unlocked the heavy iron door that kept the occupant isolated. Beckett stepped inside and looked down at the wretch before him._

_He was slumped up against the wall, wearing nothing more than pants and a long shirt, as was prison regulations. His hair, usually kept clean and in a ponytail, was now black, grimy, unkempt, and extended down past his shoulders. His clean face was now covered with a wild, mangy beard, and the man was covered from head to toe in filth in one way or another. His eyes looked bloodshot, he looked sickly and underfed, he had odd bits of straw clinging to his clothing, and his face looked gaunt._

_"Congratulations on your promotion, Admiral Beckett," he spoke in a hoarse, crackly voice. This lacked any of the conniving wit or playful charm that he usually had, "Come here to gloat?"_

_Beckett sighed and sat down on a small stool inside the cell that he thought would give out from under him._

_"We both know why I'm here," Beckett said._

_"Come to make sure that I get one extra straw in my pillow? Or are you upping my rations from three peanuts a day to four?" Jack mocked him, but again, the humorous inflection he had was absent._

_"Where's the cargo?" Beckett asked._

_"Cargo? I don't know what you're talking about," Jack said, "Oh! You mean the people that you forced me to haul across the Atlantic!"_

_"They were under the ownership of the East India Trading Company, pending transaction, and you chose to set them free," Beckett conveyed, "Why?"_

_"Because people aren't cargo, mate," Jack said, trying hard to smirk at Beckett but finding the muscles in his lips unable to do so._

_"Do you have any idea what that cost me, Jack?" Beckett sternly questioned._

_"Cost you? You're not the one that's been languishing in a prison cell for months," Jack shot at him, but without warning Beckett backhanded him, and his head hit against the wall to his right._

_"I trusted you Jack, and you betrayed me," Beckett said. But Jack retorted, "HA! Betrayal, that's a good one."_

_"You think this is funny? You think I wanted any of this to happen?" Beckett fired back, "I entrusted you with something, and-"_

_"You didn't entrust it to me at all, liar. If you had, you would have told me what I was hauling before I set out," Jack said bitterly. If he had the strength, he would throw himself at Beckett right now and choke the life out of him._

_"I should've known better than to hire you. You, the bastard son of Edward Teague and Laura Smyth, the former a murderous buccaneer and the latter a disgrace to her otherwise noble family," Beckett belittled Jack, "But, I suppose that's my cross to bear."_

_"Don't you dare say another word against my family, Cutler," Jack threatened, despite not being in a position to fight back._

_Beckett looked away, and the two men didn't speak to each other for a long pause._

_"I know what I did, and I'm not ashamed of it," Jack finally said, "If you're going to execute me for doing the right thing, then so be it. At least I won't have a guilty conscience."_

_Beckett took off his hat and sighed._

_"My only regret is leaving Maggie for good," Jack said, and with that Beckett raised his cold, blue eyes to look at him. Jack then saw that there was a very mournful gaze in his expression._

_"That's the other thing I came here to tell you, Jack," Beckett began, looking towards the ground._

_"What? What is it?" Jack asked._

_"Maggie... she..." Beckett began, his voice cracking up, "... she caught a fever shortly after you left London. She died."_

_Jack's face went blank. His lip was trembling. Tears were welling up in his eyes._

_She can't be gone._

_She was fine when he left._

_He was going to come back once he was done with his job, and they were going to start a family together._

_"No..." Jack brought his knees to his chest and hugged them closely to him. He let his face drop to his knees, continuously spouting off cries of, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no..."_

_"I'm sorry, Jack," Beckett managed to say, and tears had formed in his eyes as well, "I know you loved her. As did I."_

_Jack didn't respond. He was continuing to sob into his knees, overcome with grief with what he just learned._

_His wife was dead. Maggie was dead. His precious pearl was gone._

_And his mind had snapped._

_Beckett got up slowly from the stool, placing his hat atop his head and trying to regain his composure. He knocked on the cell door, and the guards opened it so he could step out. He merely nodded to the guards, and they went into the cell._

_Beckett stood in the hallway, trying as hard as he could to remove all emotion from himself. But he knows what he did, and what he was about to do. He didn't like it one bit, but he knew it was necessary._

_The guards stepped outside of the cell, holding Jack by his arms and dragging him by his knees across the prison hallway. Beckett followed after him._

_They had loaded him onto the HMS Endeavor, Beckett's personal flagship, and carried him away out to sea. After what seemed like a few days of travel, they dropped anchor in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight._

_Two guards brought Jack to the top deck from his cell, his arms chained together so that he wouldn't try to escape. But Jack was so distraught that he didn't even speak the entire time he was on board the Endeavor._

_Jack looked up around him and saw that he was surrounded by armed guards. Beckett was standing in his Admiral's uniform, with Mercer standing at his side. There was what looked like a fire lit inside a metal bucket, with a poker of some kind sticking in it._

_He turned his head towards starboard, and he saw it._

_The Wicked Wench was anchored and abandoned, sitting right next to the Endeavor with its port side facing them._

_There was an officer that had a piece of parchment that he unrolled, and he cleared his throat._

_"Jonathan Smyth," he began, "Due to your willful violation of Royal Decree and committing of crimes against the Crown, among these including treason, destruction of property, obstruction of justice, and piracy..."_

_Piracy._

_That was not true._

_He wasn't a pirate._

_"... you are, on this day, sentenced to be branded as such for your actions, and subsequently hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul."_

_Beckett pulled the poker out of the fire, revealing a glowing hot 'P' at the end of it._

_The guards removed his shackles, and the one holding his right arm pulled back his sleeve and held his wrist in place._

_Jack did not resist._

_He barely elicited a whimper when Beckett pressed the flaming hot brand to his wrist._

_None of it mattered to him anymore._

_Beckett pulled the brander off, and Jack saw the bright red mark that was burned into his arm._

_He was a pirate. Just like his father._

_All because he tried to do the right thing._

_Beckett set the poker back down into the fire, and then turned to Mercer and said, "Prepare to fire incendiary charges."_

_Jack lifted his head up in surprise, and then said, "What?"_

_"Prepare to fire incendiaries!" Mercer relayed the order to the men, and the soldiers on the ship scurried over to the cannons both above and below decks._

_"What are you doing!?" Jack asked worriedly._

_Beckett turned to face Jack and said, "Regrettably, the Wench will suffer the same fate as it's Captain. It's not worthy to be sailed by any honest gentlemen because it's been defiled by a pirate."_

_Jack looked out towards the Wench, it's sleek white paint reflecting against the afternoon sun. It was such a beautiful ship._

_It was all he had left._

_"No, Cutler, please! I beg you, don't hurt my ship!" Jack pleaded with Beckett. But Beckett turned his back to him and watched as the crew prepared to fire upon the Wench._

_"On my command," Beckett ordered._

_"No, please! I'll do anything! Cutler! CUTLER!" Jack bellowed._

_"Fire," Beckett said plainly._

_"FIRE!" Mercer relayed the order._

_The sounds of dozens of cannons firing filled the air with a deafening boom as the Wench took in the broadside from the Endeavor. Soon enough, the incendiary charges combusted on the surface of the Wench. Fire spread rapidly, engulfing the ship, burning the painted-white wood into a charred black._

_"NOOOO!" Jack called out, and with a sudden rush of adrenaline he broke free of the grasp of the guards holding him to the ground. He started sprinting across the deck, time seemingly having slowed down while he ran, and he continued to watch in horror at the sight of his precious ship on fire._

_He kept on running, and Mercer saw that he had broken free. He then drew his pistol._

_Jack made it to the edge of the Endeavor, prepared to dive into the water and try to save the Wench before it sunk._

_BOOM!_

_A bullet passed right through his chest, very close to where he had been shot months prior. Clutching at his chest and howling in pain, Jack found that he couldn't breathe. The bullet had passed right through his right lung. He started to gasp for breath, but he couldn't. He was getting lightheaded, everything started to go black..._

_Jack stumbled and fell over the starboard rail of the Endeavor into the ocean._

_Mercer had his pistol drawn and pointed at where Jack was standing, but he hadn't pulled the trigger. He looked to his left to see Beckett holding his own pistol, smoke emanating from the barrel. Quickly, Mercer and Beckett made their way over to the rail, and they looked down and saw white foam where Jack had splashed down._

_He didn't come back up._

_Soon, the Wench was covered completely in flames, and began to sink to the bottom of the sea._

_"Captain goes down with his ship," Mercer remarked, but Beckett merely sighed in response, his eyes cold and unmoving._

_"Begging your pardon, sir," Mercer began, "but why was it necessary to sink the ship?"_

_"To better sell the story," Beckett answered, "The record will show that Jonathan Smyth and his crew were attacked by pirates, and they sunk the HMS Wicked Wench in their ferocity."_

_"But why go through all the trouble of branding him if you were just going to kill him anyway?" Mercer inquired, "Why lie to him about-"_

_"Because, it would've only been cruel for me to tell him the truth before he died," Beckett said, "It would've given him false hope in his final moments. I wanted to make sure he was completely demoralized and sapped of any hope so he truly had nothing to live for. That's why he could not know about the child."_

_Beckett put his pistol away, and then looked out into the ocean where Jack had fallen, never to rise again._

_"It was nothing personal, Jack," Beckett remarked, "It was just good business."_

_The Endeavor sailed away from the area, and Jack's lifeless body continued to drift to the bottom of the sea._

_Hours passed, and night had fallen. The moonlight reflected like a spirit over the ocean. All was silent._

_And then, there was a rumbling. It scared the nearby fish away, and white foam formed at the ocean's surface._

_Without warning, something monstrous shot up from the bottom, a wooden structure that resembled a set of nasty pointed teeth. The water continued to splash, and soon an entire ship had risen out of the water. Its sails were covered in seaweed, the cannons were covered in all manner of crustaceans, and the deck boards were rotted and splintered._

_On the deck lay a man on his front, who looked like he was dead from his apparent lack of movement. But soon, he started coughing up water. He lifted his head up and continued coughing, and then he reached a hand to his chest where he had been shot hours earlier._

_The wounds had healed. He could breathe again. He was alive._

_Jack looked around him, and saw the decrepit ship that he was currently on. He was starting to panic, because this didn't look like an ordinary ship. In fact, it looked like something out of a nightmare._

_He had heard stories about a ship like this, one that would find it's way to dead sailors in one way or another._

_The Flying Dutchman._

_Suddenly, Jack heard the sounds of heavy footsteps from all around him, and then he looked at all sides and saw that there were several monstrous-looking creatures surrounding him._

_"AAAAHHHH!" he screamed as he backed up in terror. This was a nightmare, it had to be. This couldn't be real. He saw one figure that had a hammerhead shark's head, and another with the head of an amore eel. One looked like the shell of a crab, and there was one figure that looked somewhat human but it had a ship's wheel embedded in his back._

_Jack backed up on his hands until he reached the edge, and he couldn't back up anymore. He was deathly terrified at this moment, and didn't know what they were going to do to him._

_Suddenly, the creatures stopped approaching him, for they all heard the sounds of heavier footsteps. Every head aboard the Dutchman faced in the center of the large crowd, where the captain of the ship came into view._

_One leg had a boot covered in crustaceans, the other looked like the leg of a crab. Looking upward, Jack saw that his blue uniform was also ragged and covered with even more crustaceans. His right hand was green and looked like octopus' tentacles clutching onto a very unusually shaped smoking pipe. His left arm was a giant crab's arm, and Jack noticed that his overcoat was hanging off of his shoulder. He looked towards the monster's face, and saw that his head resembled that of a squid, with the tentacles hanging from his face like an overgrown beard, and he was wearing a large faded blue captain's hat covered with algae. Strangely enough, his face almost looked human, except it was missing a nose, and those beady blue eyes seemed to be staring right through Jack's soul._

_The monster started to walk closer to him, and Jack was absolutely terrified. He had never seen anything like this in his whole life, and he was scared at what was going to happen to him._

_The monster got close to him, kneeled down, lit up his pipe, and took a long drag. He then removed the pipe, eyes locking directly onto Jack's, and then spoke to him with a thick Scottish accent._

_"Do you fear death?"_

* * *

He had struck a deal with Davy Jones that day, who would raise the _Wicked Wench_ from the depths of the ocean and allow Jack to captain it for thirteen years, in exchange for a hundred years of servitude aboard the _Flying Dutchman._

And from then on, he was a pirate.

Jack remembered everything.

Cutler lied to him. He told Jack that Maggie was dead. Not only was Maggie alive, but she had managed to have and raise a daughter. _His_ daughter.

That lying bastard deserved to be at the bottom of the ocean for that alone. And he was.

Jack looked back over towards Carina, the shock of knowing the truth still with him. He just happened to run into his adult daughter after God-knows-how-many-years of not knowing that she even existed. Was the universe pulling another cruel joke on him? To just cross paths with her at random, and the first time they lay eyes on each other they're total strangers to one another, unaware of the connection by blood they share?

But now, here they were. They were finally united after so many years of not being together, and it was under circumstances neither of them would ever dream of.

The first time he should've laid eyes on her is when she was born. He should've been there every step of the way to love and support her as she grew up.

But he just had to be the hero, didn't he? He had to free those slaves to clear his conscience.

After thinking he had lost everything, Jack had vowed that he would never be the hero again. From that day forth, the only person he would look out for was himself. That was the day that Jonathan Smyth had died.

And Carina didn't know anything, did she? She believed that her father had died searching for the Trident of Poseidon as a good, honest sailor who obeyed the law, completely unaware of the fact that not only was he alive, but a pirate as well. Jack could only imagine the idea of him that she had built up in her mind, and if she discovered the truth then her world would shatter.

As much as it pained him, he knew that she could never know who he truly was. It didn't matter that he was her father, he couldn't do that to her. Especially not now.

And then it occurred to him: she could have died several times over the past few days and he hadn't even cared all that much. He had even wanted her execution in St. Martin to be first because he had lost his temper with her. If he had known then...

And she was in danger now. The Royal Navy and Salazar surely were in pursuit of them still, and if they caught up to them then her life was at risk. Jack felt like banging his head against a wall knowing that it was because of him that she was in danger. He had left Salazar cursed and vengeful, and would not stop until Jack was dead. Now she was at risk just as much as he was. It was all his fault.

Jack looked away from Carina, and walked over towards the bow while gripping onto the rail for support. He had to distance himself from her, as far as he could on board a ship anyway.

He had made it to the front of the ship and leaned over the edge, trying to get a hold of himself. While he was doing so, he heard the familiar sound of sinister laughter come out from behind him.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Barbossa asked in a mocking tone, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not now, Hector," Jack spoke bluntly, facing away from him. This was not the time.

"You know, 'Smyth' is quite a unique name, as it happens," Barbossa continued to taunt.

"Hector, shut up," Jack said, his temper rising.

"Not a common spelling, but I think I once knew someone called Smyth," Barbossa continued, "What was his name?"

"Not another word," Jack said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, yes. I remember," Barbossa said while flashing a smile, "Jonathan Smyth. Now there's a man I remember from way back. I must admit, I'd have never pictured him to be father material-"

Jack lost his temper. With rage in his eyes, he reached for the pistol at his belt, spun around quickly, pointed it right at Barbossa and bellowed, "I SAID NOT ANOTHER _FUCKING_ WORD, HECTOR!"

Barbossa's cocky grin quickly fell, replaced by a look of surprise and panic. He looked down at the barrel of the gun pointed towards him, and then looked up to Jack's face and saw the pure rage he was showing. His usual carefree spirit was gone, replaced by fuming anger and bloodlust at that very moment. Barbossa looked into Jack's eyes and he saw the cold, uncaring look he was giving him.

He had seen this look once before. Isla de Muerta. Right after Jack had shot him. That empty, unfeeling gaze he had given his mutinous first mate shortly before the icy cold hand of Death took hold of him.

But he had never seen him this angry before.

Barbossa looked back down at the pistol he was holding, and recognized this was the same gun Jack had used to kill him.

"Stop thinking you're better than me!" Jack shouted after many moments of silence, "You're not! Every time I've tried to live for myself, you've somehow managed to turn up and screw everything up! You stole the _Pearl_ from me! She was never yours to begin with! You're the mutineer that took her away from me! You're not a captain because you never _earned_ that title! Stop deluding yourself with the idea you can somehow beat me!"

Barbossa was terrified at Jack's outburst. He realized that he had gone way too far this time.

"Jack, I- I'm sorry," Barbossa managed to blurt, "I didn't know about C-"

"You even _dare_ to say her name, or tell her about any of this, and I swear to God I'll kill you again," Jack snarled, thumbing back the hammer. Barbossa had intended to blackmail Jack with what he knew, but he saw that look in Jack's eyes and knew he wasn't bluffing about killing him.

After a few moments, Jack lowered his gun, uncocking the hammer and placing it back on his belt.

"How did you know?" Jack asked, having turned away from Barbossa again.

"Intuition," Barbossa replied, recognizing that the immediate threat was over, "She bares a striking resemblance to you, and her name was 'Smyth,' so I put two and two together and..."

Jack sighed, and Barbossa said, "I didn't know you had a wife, though."

"Would you tell me if you did?" Jack asked, but Barbossa was silent, "I thought not."

"Did you know about... _her?"_ Barbossa asked, not daring to speak the girl's name aloud.

"No," Jack replied, "But she doesn't know either. She can never know."

"Aye, but is not tellin' her a guarantee she'll never learn?" Barbossa suggested, "A clever young woman like that is bound to figure it out sooner rather than later."

"There's no way she would believe it," Jack turned back towards Barbossa, "that she's the offspring of a wretched pirate like me."

With that, Jack walked away from the bow, leaving Barbossa alone while he was tied to the mast. He looked up at the helm to see Carina was still steering the ship, completely unaware of the truth of her origins.

"Jack," Henry's voice sounded out, and Jack turned to see that he had come up from below decks, "I heard shouting earlier, is something the matter?"

Jack placed a hand on Henry's shoulder, and looked him over. He looked so much like Will.

"I know he hasn't been in your life much, Henry," Jack began, his voice cracking with sadness, "but what you need to know is that your father was a better man... than I will ever be."

With that, he patted Henry on the shoulder, and the Turner boy looked up at Jack with a combined look of confusion and pity.

Jack walked away from Henry, leaned up against the edge of the ship, and started to let himself cry.

He was a father.

And he didn't deserve to be.


	19. Never Shall We Die, Part I

Henry didn't know what was going on with Jack. One minute he'd be carefree and jovial, taking things in stride even if they were pressing life-and-death situations, and the next he was downright sullen and melancholy. Just now, even, he looked like he was on the verge of breaking down in tears. Henry had no idea what to expect when he met Jack, but nothing could have prepared him for seeing him as an old man who's lost his way. He remembers his mother's stories about him, where he would nearly always be smiling every time he spoke. But Jack wasn't smiling. Not as often as Henry expected him to, at least.

He supposed the old man aboard the _Monarch_ was right after all. Jack, in a way, had died. But Henry had no idea what he could do to bring him out of it.

It was odd, though. Even with Jack in his current state, Henry still somewhat looked up to him. Maybe it was the part of him that was hoping that the old Jack would shine through and be that man he heard about in those stories from when he was a boy. Jack Sparrow, captain of the _Black Pearl,_ Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, a deceitful rogue with a heart of gold, and a penchant for adventure and mischief.

But there was something else to it as well. He admired the guy, even in his deep melancholia. Henry had expected Jack to be a lot more selfish given the content of his mother's stories, but so far he had stuck his neck out for him at every turn. For that, he was eternally grateful. If not, he'd probably be dead. Carina too.

Something occurred to Henry as he watched Jack lean over the _Pearl's_ edge, and it was about what he had said mere moments before. He said that his father was a better man than he'd ever be, but why? What reason did he have to say that? The only conclusion that Henry could draw in his mind was that Jack knew that Henry looked up to him, and not just as a pirate.

It was crazy, yes, but it was true. Factually speaking, he had spent more time with Jack in the past week than he had with his father his entire life. He never really knew what it was like to have a father given the nature of Will's curse, but Jack, for better or worse, was filling that void for him.

But it didn't explain why Jack looked so utterly destroyed. Maybe, just maybe, he cared about him too. But that was a longshot.

Maybe when they found the Trident, he could find out more.

Henry shook his head as his finally caught himself daydreaming, and looked away from Jack who was still hanging his head over the rail. Sighing, he walked away from where Jack was and found Marty, who was descending from the rigging. Once he had gotten down, the dwarf asked Henry if he could take over duties in the crow's nest, and he agreed. After Marty handed him a spyglass, Henry climbed the rigging and got himself situated in the crow's nest.

Henry felt a shiver along his neck. There was a chill in the night air, but something felt off. The low sounds of thunder in the distance didn't help his nerves one bit.

He extended the spyglass and looked ahead to see what was up in the distance. It was too dark to make out anything, and all he saw was a black shroud engulfing the way in front of them. Hopefully Carina knew where she was going. She hadn't led them astray yet, and he didn't expect that she would.

But as Henry observed the darkened horizon before him, he saw a glint of something. Like a little light.

Another one popped up not long after that.

And another.

And another.

And ano-

"Oh no," Henry uttered, as the images before him started to get more clear.

At least a dozen British warships lay ahead of them. Some of the sails bore the cross of England, others of Scotland, all flying the Union Jack.

Henry looked closely at the decks and saw the soldiers aboard assuming battle positions.

They were waiting for them. In the time they spent lost in Hangman's Bay, the British were able to build up their forces ahead of them, waiting for the pirates to come.

It was an ambush.

They were going to be slaughtered.

The spyglass fell through Henry's grip into the crow's nest. His mouth, agape in abject horror, was now trying to remember how to speak because the sight of the armada before them sapped every last ounce of his courage.

Fortunately, he was able to quickly regain some of his lost nerve.

"R- r- re- red- red-" Henry stammered, before he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "REDCOATS! REDCOATS OFF THE BOW! AT LEAST A DOZEN WARSHIPS! ROYAL BLOODY NAVY!"

Jack, Carina, Barbossa, and the rest of the crew turned their heads upward towards Henry's shouting.

"IT'S AN AMBUSH!" Henry bellowed again, and there was a state of panic among the crew of the _Black Pearl._

Jack was shaken out of his despair almost instantaneously at the sound of Henry's shouting. Quickly wiping whatever tears were on his face away, he took a deep breath and regained his composure. Now was not the time for self-pity.

He quickly made his way over towards the bow of the ship where some of the other crew were gathering, including Gibbs, Pintel, Ragetti, Murtogg, Mullroy, Marty, Cotton, and the still-tied Barbossa. Carina was still at the wheel but she could see and hear everything.

"Captain," Gibbs said, handing Jack a spyglass. Jack opened it and looked out over the ocean to observe the British fleet ahead. Henry wasn't lying. There were at least a dozen warships, maybe more, most of them brigs and frigates. At the center, there was a man o' war leading them all, the _HMS Essex,_ which appeared to be under the command of one Captain John Scarfield.

"Dear God," was all that came out of Jack's mouth as he lowered the spyglass, and by then Henry had climbed down and joined them. There was an entire fleet of British warships right in front of them, one of them was a _man o' war_ of all things, they were directly in the path of them finding the Trident of Poseidon, and they only had a modest amount of guns and ammunition to defend themselves with.

Jack tried to think of all the ways he could get out of this situation, all options terrible, each one worse than the last.

"You've got a plan, right Jack?" Gibbs worriedly asked his captain, to which Jack replied, "I've only one in mind."

"What it be? We turn back 'round, try to evade them in the darkness?" Gibbs suggested.

"No," Jack said sternly, "We're not running."

Jack was tired of running away. He had done that his entire life.

"We'll fight," Jack spoke low.

Gibbs looked flabbergasted, "W- we'll- we'll what, Captain?"

Jack turned around quickly and saw the masses of his crew standing before him. He looked upon each of their faces, each one anxiously awaiting him to give orders for them to follow.

_Well, if you're going to act like a real pirate captain, then you better do it now._

"We will fight, gentlemen!" Jack addressed the whole crew, each man surprised that this was to be Jack Sparrow's course of action. Usually his plans would involve deception or some form of cleverness that would render a full-scale confrontation avoidable, but here he was, giving the command to fight it out against the full might of the Royal Navy.

"We will fight to the last man if we have to!" Jack shouted, "If we try to run, we die! If we surrender, we die! If we stand and fight, at least we'll have a chance, and that is all we'll need!"

Jack got up on the edge of the bow and grabbed one of the lines above him to balance himself.

"Look ahead, and you'll see an armada stacked against us, blocking the path to the Trident!" Jack gestured out towards the encroaching British fleet, "I know many of you think this is suicide, that to face an enemy of this size means certain death! But I'm going to tell you right now... what better way is there to die?"

A hushed tone overcame the crowd of pirates.

"I know you fear death, we all do," Jack continued, "God knows I do... but is this not what we strive for? To live and die on our own terms? A great friend of mine once said that if we have nothing to fight for, then what shall we die for!? Any man that doesn't believe so isn't a true pirate!"

Jack drew his sword from his scabbard and raised it high.

"If we are to die this day, then we shall die as free men! If we survive this day, then we shall live as free men! People will remember this as the glorious day that the _Black Pearl_ took on the power of the British Empire singlehandedly, and by doing so we make sure that we shall never die!"

_"So that is what we will do! We will fight! We will die! We will have the courage and fortitude to stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death! And no matter what happens, WE WILL BE FREE!"_

The crew began to cheer as Jack's speech came to a close. All the men raised their swords and pistols in the air and began to cheer loudly as Jack stepped off the ledge back onto the deck. He knew that they were all fit and ready for a fight.

"MAN THE TOPSAILS! BEAT TO QUARTERS AND LOAD THE GUNS!" Jack ordered, "HOIST THE COLOURS!"

Every man standing atop the deck made their way to their positions throughout the ship. The alarm bell was ringing throughout the ship signifying the call to arms. Barrels of gunpowder and cannonballs were being carried from the magazine to the gun deck and the weather deck, being rammed in by the crewmembers that were making haste to prepare for battle. Spare swords and muskets were grabbed from below, and the men made sure to sharpen their blades and load in their shot and powder. The crew hoisted some lines which raised the _Pearl's_ Jolly Roger, and the wind blew hard against the black flag.

Jack remained at the bow as he watched his crew at work, the impending battle mere moments away. While he was standing there, he heard Barbossa say, "That be quite a speech ye gave, Jack. Highly impressive."

"Just came off the top of me head," Jack commented.

"Taken a page from Ms. Swann's book, I see," Barbossa quipped, "If this truly be your course of action, Jack, then let me help."

"So you can backstab me and take the _Pearl_ from me again? Yeah, I think I'll pass on that one," Jack commented.

"You're going to need every hand in this fight if you want to win," Barbossa said, but Jack just scoffed, "And besides, I got an idea."

* * *

Carina was still standing at the wheel, holding steady while she saw the several pirates aboard the _Pearl_ rushing to their battle stations. At her sides, she saw Murtogg and Mullroy loading the Puckle guns there, shouting back and forth at each other.

"I don't think this many shots go in it!" Murtogg said.

"I don't understand!" Mullroy shouted back, "Eight fit in mine, why not yours?"

"Because there's six barrels!" Murtogg explained.

"Now that's absurd! Why would a single ship have two different types of guns?" Mullroy asked, incredulous.

"Maybe one's a different Puckle gun model, on account of the cylinder size and such," Murtogg suggested.

"Oh! And no other multi-barreled cannon could _possibly_ have the same number of barrels and therefore couldn't _possibly_ be anything other than a Puckle gun, is that what you're saying?" Mullroy snapped back.

"Both of you, shut up!" Carina shouted suddenly, "You're making my ears bleed!"

The two former Royal Marines shut their mouths instantly. Carina smirked.

But that brief moment did little to keep her spirits up. She knew that they were close to the Trident of Poseidon. Something in her gut said that they were. And then, out of nowhere, half the Royal Navy shows up to ambush them. Her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest, probably even harder than when she saw Salazar and his ghostly crew for the first time. Carina had been in plenty of near-death situations over the past few days, but tonight she was not confident they would survive this. One old pirate ship against an entire fleet? It was madness.

"Man the capstan! Raise the main topyard! Keep that powder dry!" she heard Gibbs order as he paced along the weather deck of the _Pearl._ Afterwards, he rushed his way up to the quarter deck to make sure Murtogg and Mullroy had loaded the Puckle guns correctly.

"Carina!" Henry's voice called out, and Carina saw him rushing up the stairs towards where she was at the helm, holding his musket in his grasp.

"Henry!" Carina called back, and by then Henry had made it over to her.

"You alright?" he asked, his tone nervous and concerned.

"I'll manage," she replied, trying to keep herself together.

"How long do you think before we'll reach the Trident?" Henry asked.

"Nearly there, but we have to make it past that blockade or we're all dead!" Carina told him.

"Fine then," Henry replied, giving her a reassuring nod, "We'll try to hold them off for as long as we can. Hey, we're going to make it. Don't worry."

"I wish I shared your confidence," Carina said.

"We will, trust me," Henry said, and with that he rushed back down towards the cannons on the top deck.

* * *

"The _Essex_ is veering port, coming up off the starboard bow!" Jack shouted to his crew, "We will fight to the last! I'm not losing the _Pearl_ again!"

As he said this, he looked up towards the helm and saw Carina standing there, doing her best to keep her grip steady on the wheel.

Jack kept his emotions in check this time when staring at her this time, but he still felt overwhelming guilt for putting her in this position. Because of him, her life was in danger. She could very well die in the upcoming fight, and the thought of that terrified him. The very life that he was responsible for creating was now at risk because of the choices he made. But what's done is done, and so now the only thing he could focus on was keeping her alive. He wanted to tell himself it was because she knew the way to the Trident, and it could be their only salvation against Salazar. But he already knew why.

_I'll keep our daughter safe, Maggie. I promise you._

"Oi," Jack called out to Pintel and Ragetti, who were busy loading one of the starboard cannons.

"What is it, Captain?" Pintel inquired.

"Gimme your pistol, sailor," Jack ordered.

"Beggin' your pardon, sir?" Pintel asked, incredulous.

" _Now,"_ Jack spoke sternly, and a reluctant Pintel reached to his belt and pulled out his signature double-barreled pistol, placing it in Jack's hand.

"Much obliged," Jack stated, and he quickly walked towards the helm, his eyes transfixed on Carina the entire time.

God, she reminded him so much of Maggie.

"Carina," Jack called out to her when he reached the helm, and she turned her head at the sound of his voice. Looking at her face, he could tell that she still wasn't fully past what had transpired earlier between them.

Jack raised the pistol up towards her, his grip on the gun's barrel, and Carina looked down at it with an expression of shock and apprehension.

"You take this, you hear me?" Jack said, and Carina looked up towards him in confusion.

"What?" was all that came out of her mouth, "What are you expecting me to-"

"It's for your protection," Jack cut her off, "Look, anything that gets near you that looks like a Redcoat or a ghost, shoot it, okay?"

Carina looked down at the gun again. She never used one before. She wasn't prepared to take another person's life.

"I don't know if I can do this," Carina said, her voice uneasy as she continued to stare at the weapon. Jack grimaced, because he didn't want her to have to do this either; she didn't deserve any of this. But he knew that if he didn't take the necessary precautions that she would be hurt. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to his daughter.

"Carina, look at me," Jack said, and Carina looked up towards him again. The pirate then placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "You're going to be alright. Do you understand?"

Carina looked away for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts on the matter. Reluctantly, she took the gun from Jack's hand and tucked it on her belt.

"Whatever happens," Jack continued, his arm still on her shoulder, "Promise me that you will stay your course. Else we'll all be killed."

"Alright, I promise," Carina replied, and Jack gave a weak smile to her. He took his hand off his shoulder and was beginning to turn away from her.

"Jack," she said, and Jack turned back around to face her, "For what it's worth, I just want to say that I'm sorry."

Jack gave a light chuckle. She didn't have to apologize to him for anything.

"As am I, Carina. As am I," he sighed, "Though I do have to say, you have a pretty mean right hook."

Carina laughed, and with that he turned and walked away from Carina and made his way over to Gibbs who was behind them.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called out, and Gibbs directed his attention towards him.

"Aye, Captain?" Gibbs asked.

"Time to release the fleet," Jack said with a smirk.

* * *

Though only moments had passed since the preparations for battle had begun, the wait felt like an eternity for Barbossa, who could do little but stay tied to the foremast while the crew prepped for battle. It wasn't like him to just sit back when there was a battle to be fought. He just hoped that Jack would be back in enough time for their idea to work.

As luck would have it, Jack and Gibbs came to the bow not a moment too soon.

"About time you got here!" Barbossa complained, "Figured we should do this now before we're under fire."

"I only agreed to this because I don't know how to work your magic sword thingy," Jack replied, and Gibbs started to cut through the ropes binding Barbossa. When he was finished, Barbossa was released and it took him a few moments to gain his balance.

"You bring the ships?" Barbossa asked, facing Jack. Immediately afterwards, Gibbs lifted up the bagful of miniaturized ships he had taken from the _Queen Anne's Revenge._ Barbossa gave a hearty laugh when he saw that they brought them.

"The Redcoats won't know what hit them!" Barbossa said, taking the bag from Gibbs and walking over towards the starboard rail. One by one, he pulled each of the ships out of the bag and set them all along the rail, whereupon he threw the empty bag down on the deck.

"Captain Barbossa," Gibbs spoke up, and Barbossa turned his head to see Gibbs holding out the Sword of Triton towards him.

"Thank ye, Master Gibbs," Barbossa smiled, and then he directed his attention back towards the ships in the bottles.

"I don't know if ye can hear me from in there, but if ye can, hear this!" Barbossa bellowed, "We're about to face impossible odds against a powerful foe, but we won't be doin' it alone! We'll set ye free, but know that the price of freedom is always steep! Ye want to keep your freedom, ye have to be willin' to die for it!"

With that, Barbossa raised the Sword of Triton, and quickly cut cracks into each and every one of the bottles along the rails. After doing so, Gibbs picked each bottle up, one at a time, fitted them along his crossbow, and fired them all out towards the sea.

"This'd better work, Hector," Jack said nervously as he watched the bottles splash and sink into the ocean.

"It will, rest assured," Barbossa replied.

"MAN O' WAR COMING UP OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!" they heard Marty shout as he hung from the rigging, "ORDERS, CAPTAIN!"

"Hold fast, men! At the ready!" Jack ordered, "Wait for the order!"

None of the ships had risen up from the water yet. Barbossa was getting nervous now. The _Pearl_ had risen much sooner than this. The _Essex_ was nearly on top of them.

"JACK!" Henry shouted out, taking up position with his musket next to Pintel and Ragetti's cannon.

"Wait for it... wait for it..." Barbossa said.

The _Essex_ had gotten so close that Jack could see Scarfield standing at the bow, sneering at him.

_SPLASH!_

A sudden shockwave of the sea slammed into the pirate ship, causing it to rock. Every head aboard the _Pearl_ craned right to take a look at what caused the ocean to shake like that. And they were beholden by a most glorious sight.

A pirate ship had risen out of the sea, its sails soaking wet and water draining out of the hull. Over on the ship, the crew of the _Pearl_ could see that there were _men_ aboard the recently released ship, some of them on the top deck, all of them coughing up water. The captain of the ship was leaned over the port rail, emptying his lungs of all the water he had taken in. When he'd finished, he looked upward to see the night sky, and his face broke out into a wide grin as he saw the world without a glass barrier for the first time in years.

"WE'RE FREE, MEN! WE'RE FINALLY FREE!" he called out to his crew, and the crew that had stopped coughing up water began to cheer heartily along with their captain.

Soon after, they weren't the only ones celebrating. More pirate ships of all varieties, big and small, shot up out of the water, and the crews of those ships cheered after finally being freed after all of the years they were trapped in their bottles by Blackbeard.

"We're not alone!" Henry called out, and the crew of the _Pearl_ began to cheer as they realized they now had an alliance to help them fight the British.

Scarfield recognized this too, for soon enough he began barking orders at his own crew, shouting, "Veer off, bring her around!"

The _Essex_ turned hard to starboard while they were very close to the _Pearl._ They knew that if they engaged the _Pearl_ directly, the newly released pirate ships would make an easy target of their port side. Fortunately for them, the _Pearl_ had no bow cannons so they could not open fire on them. The _Essex_ retreated back towards the rest of the British fleet so they could regroup and form a new strategy.

"I must say," Barbossa spoke to Jack, "That be a mighty fleet ye got yourself there, Captain."

Jack smirked.

"Admiral," Jack corrected him, "Admiral Jack Sparrow."

The crew of the _Pearl_ continued to cheer as they saw the _Essex_ retreating back towards their fleet. While they were doing so, the crews of the other ships wasted no time in getting themselves prepped for battle. Guns were loaded, blades were sharpened, and pirate colours were hoisted high for the British to see.

Jack was beaming at the sight of the fleet. It seemed piracy wasn't dying after all.

"Steady as she goes, boys!" Gibbs called out, "The wind's in our favor!"

The _Essex,_ like its cowardly captain, had retreated to the back of its line of ships. Once it had done so, the smaller ships hauled anchor and began sailing towards the pirate fleet. Multiple ships began to sail on either side of the _Black Pearl,_ which seemed to be the flagship of this little alliance.

"Alright, ya bunch of cack-handed deck apes!" Barbossa shouted, finishing loading his blunderbuss cane, "Show these lobsterbacks what we're made of!"

A frigate was coming up along the starboard bow of the _Pearl,_ and there were several Royal Marines loading the cannons on their starboard side.

"Hands to starboard guns!" Jack ordered, pacing away from the bow up along the deck where several of his men were manning the starboard cannons. They didn't have too many men to spare, so every man was stationed to starboard to make their broadside the most effective it could be. The downside is that their port side would be completely vulnerable to attack.

"Orders, Captain!" Gibbs called out as the frigate was now starting to pass by their starboard. Tensions were high as each crew member held their breath in anxiety. Henry had to wipe sweat away from his brow as he took aim at one of the soldiers manning the guns. Carina's hands were shaking as she attempted to keep her grip on the wheel.

Jack made his way up to the quarter deck, right next to where Murtogg was manning his Puckle gun. Pulling out his hanger and one of his pistols, he extended his sword outward and shouted, " _FIRE!"_

_"FIRE!"_ Gibbs relayed.

_"POUR IT INTO THEM, BOYS!"_ Barbossa shouted.

All at once, at least thirty guns roared to life with deafening firepower. Cannonballs from both the warship and the pirate ship smacked hard into each other's hulls, splintering the wooden outer protection.

Carina had ducked down as a cannonball almost hit her, one hand still gripped on the wheel. She stayed down, her ears ringing from the sounds of the artillery. She wanted to squeeze her hands over her ears to stop the ringing, but she couldn't let go of the wheel while she was piloting the _Pearl._

Jack and Barbossa ducked down as well behind the battlements of the ship, as did the rest of the crew throughout the ship after they had fired their broadside. A couple of pirates were killed in the barrage, but no substantial damage had been done to the _Pearl_ and they took some of the Redcoats with them.

No time passed as the sound of small arms fire immediately succeeded that of the big guns. The British soldiers squaring off against them fired a volley of muskets, while the pirates fired back with an odd assortment of muskets, pistols, and blunderbusses. Jack fired off his pistols but was unsure if he had hit anything. Henry fired off his musket with deadly aim and managed to strike a Redcoat just as he was about to load in another cannonball in the cannon across from him at the moment. Murtogg, manning the Puckle gun, started firing off multiple small cannon shots, blowing some of the British troops back and mananging to disable two of their starboard cannons.

"That's right! Yeah, I got some for you there, don't I!?" Murtogg shouted out as he was firing.

The frigate had passed through the _Pearl's_ field of fire, but soon found itself engaged by one of the recently freed pirate ships on it's port side. They would take care of what the _Pearl_ started.

"Reload! At the double-quick!" Gibbs ordered in their brief moment to spare, but was immediately cut off by Barbossa shouting, "NAY! BELAY THAT! SCHOONER COMING UP TO PORT!"

Jack, Gibbs, Henry, Carina, and the rest of the crew turned their heads the opposite direction where Barbossa was pointing, seeing the approaching British schooner on their port side. While smaller than the frigate, it still posed an imminent threat. With haste, Jack and the crew ran over to their port side and made ready the guns. Fortunately, they were already loaded, so all they needed to do was to be ignited to fire.

"Hold fast, you filthy toads!" Jack ordered, and the crew had finished prepping themselves for the next barrage. Henry had just finished ramming in his next cartridge into his musket when he took up position next to where Pintel and Ragetti were prepping their cannon.

"Could you believe our luck!?" Pintel complained, "Enemy ships - _on both sides!"_

"That thunder ain't promisin' either!" Ragetti said, looking up at the clouds that only partially obscured the starry night sky.

"It's just thunder!" Henry commented, sliding his ramrod back under his gun, "Unless there's lightning, we should be fine!"

"Consider yourself lucky you've never sailed through a maelstrom, lad!" Pintel argued, but Henry knew that this was not the time nor place to argue.

"She comes to port, gents! Put yer back into it, ya pack of ingrates!" Barbossa limped back and forth observing the crew with his blunderbuss cane.

The schooner was coming up close on their port side. There wasn't even enough time for either Jack or Barbossa to give the order to fire as the men began firing at will at the smaller ship. There would've been chastising of them for not holding for orders had the cannonballs ripped through the hull of the smaller ship. Fire spread quickly throughout the British warship, and the Redcoats aboard there was nothing they could do to save their vessel. Acting quickly, the surviving British got up on the top deck and began to throw grappling hooks towards the _Pearl's_ rigging.

"Prepare to board, men!" one of the officers shouted as the Redcoats began to climb their way over to the deck of the _Pearl._

"Steel yourselves, mates! Prepare to be boarded! Pistol and cutlass at the ready!" Barbossa ordered as he unsheathed the Sword of Triton. By then, several British troops had made their way onto the deck of the ship.

Jack did a double take and saw Carina looking fearful as she handled the wheel. Not a single one of these bastards would lay a finger on her if he had anything to say about it.

" _DEFEND YOURSELVES! TO THE DEATH!"_ Barbossa bellowed, and the air was soon filled with the sounds of steel blades colliding with each other. The fighting was ferocious between the British and the pirates, and many a man fell dead upon the deck of the _Pearl._

Henry began to use his empty musket as a melee weapon, and used the butt of his gun to knock a Redcoat off the ship and into the water. Another one came at him with his sword, and Henry had to deflect the strikes with his gun's barrel. He eventually saw an opening and he hit the soldier first in the leg and then in the stomach, causing him to fall down on the deck.

Jack was engaged with another Redcoat slashing his sword at him, and Jack did his best to parry all the advances. Seeing an opportunity, he was able to disarm the soldier and then kicked him back. Another soldier came charging towards him with his rifle, and so Jack pulled out one of his pistols and shot him.

Henry eventually made his way over to Jack and said, "We certainly have their attention now! What's our next move?"

"Well, you see, er…" Jack began, "I actually didn't think that far ahead."

" _What!?"_ Henry exclaimed, fending off another soldier, "Are you saying that you had us engage a bloody _armada_ and you didn't have a plan!?"

"Relax, mate," Jack said nonchalantly, "I make these things up as I go!"

"But- that's- I mean- oh, forget it!" Henry complained, and resumed fighting the British still on the ship.

* * *

Despite the pirates outnumbering them, the British troops still aboard the _Pearl_ still posed a threat. Carina was watching the whole battle unfold as she kept a tight grip on the _Pearl's_ wheel. Her heart was beating out of her chest as gunshots rang in her ears and adrenaline surged through her body in panic.

The fire from the burning schooner had spread to the powder magazine, and there was a tremendous explosion aboard that caused the British warship to sink beneath the waves. The shockwave from the explosion had knocked every man aboard the _Pearl_ down onto the deck, as well as knocking the ship sharply to starboard. Carina kept her grip on the wheel to prevent herself from falling, but the force of the explosion had put them off course.

Pintel had fallen down on top of Ragetti, and the latter complained, "Get off! You're crushin' my sternum!"

"Oh, posh! Sternum's a _female_ body part!" Pintel retorted.

"No, it's not!" Ragetti argued back.

Straightening herself out, Carina looked upward to see that the ship was no longer in alignment with the constellation. She had to get them back on course else they would never be able to get to the Trident on time.

Reaffirming her grip on the _Pearl's_ wheel, Carina used all of her strength to turn the ship hard to port, grunting while she did so and gritting her teeth together. The force of her hard turn caused everyone who had managed to stand back up to fall again, and this time it was Ragetti who fell on top of Pintel.

"I prefer being on top, anyway," Ragetti quipped, but Pintel wasn't having any of it, pushing him aside while chiding, "Geroff me!"

Carina looked up to see that the _Pearl_ was now on the proper course.

"Could you pick one direction and stick with it, lass!?" Pintel shouted up to her as he and Ragetti got up off the ground.

"Sorry!" Carina shouted back, "Give me a break! It's my first time!"

Barbossa, after having blasted back two Redcoats at once with his blunderbuss cane, turned his attention up towards Carina and asked, "Have ye found what yer lookin' for yet, Ms. Smyth!?"

"I'm _trying!_ " Carina replied angrily.

The pirates were still engaged with the British soldiers in a fierce frenzy of blades and bullets, and while that was happening Carina looked off the starboard side and saw that there was a brig sailing right towards them.

"Oh no," Carina spoke aloud. The pirates were occupied with the British, and their port side was completely unprotected.

"BRIG COMING UP OFF STARBOARD!" Marty shouts as he hangs from the rigging. As the dwarf climbed down, the pirates had managed to defeat the British soldiers that were aboard the _Pearl,_ and every man directed their attention towards the approaching ship. Every man rushed over to the other side to make ready the guns, but all were empty and there wouldn't be enough time to load them before the ship got there. They would be defenseless by the time their foes unleased their broadside.

"Load the guns else we'll be slaughtered!" Gibbs anxiously called out, but it was too late. The British ship had turned sharply to port and were now side by side with the _Pearl._

"Brace yourselves, mates!" Barbossa called out, and the pirates shut their eyes tight and waited to meet their maker.

Instead, a brilliant blaze of flame suddenly engulfed the British warship. The crewmembers of the _Pearl_ opened their eyes and saw the brig was disabled, consumed by fire. They looked to their right and saw a large sloop-of-the-line shooting Greek Fire out of its bow cannonades. It had over forty broadside cannons per side, its sails were blood-red, and it had the Jolly Roger raised high.

"IT BE THE _QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE_ _!"_ Barbossa called out, and the crew erupted in a cheer now that Blackbeard's legendary ship had joined the fight.

"Alright, boys!" Scrum called out as he piloted the _Revenge,_ "Let's show these lobsterbacks what we're made of!"

Jack laughed in joy. Not only had they a whole fleet of ships to face off against the British armada, but they had the _Revenge_ as well. The odds were most certainly in their favor tonight.

The _Revenge_ came up alongside the _Pearl,_ and a large number of pirates dispersed from the former to the latter to provide the overwhelmed _Pearl_ crew with some much needed reinforcements. Soon after, the _Revenge_ veered away from the _Pearl_ to give it room for firing, and the crew made haste to load the cannons and prepare to finish with the British fleet once and for all.

* * *

Over on the _HMS_ _Essex,_ Scarfield closed his spyglass in frustration. They had the _Pearl_ outnumbered and outgunned, and yet now there was a pirate fleet with more firepower than he'd ever seen supporting them.

"Raise the mains and haul anchor! I want those pirates dead!" Scarfield barked.

"But sir!" one of his lieutenants spoke up to him, "We won't be able to match that kind of firepower!"

Scarfield didn't care what he had to say, merely replying, "Only the British Empire will hold the power of the sea."

Without another word, the _Essex_ began to make ready it's hefty amount of firepower. A double broadside from this ship should be more than enough to crush the pirates once and for all. After making preparations, the man o' war began to sail ahead of the fleet directly towards the flagships.

Jack felt braver than he did before. This was going to be simple. The _Black Pearl_ and the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ would hit the _Essex_ from both sides and send it down to see Old Hob. This would be the _HMS Endeavor_ all over again.

Henry finished ramming in another shot in his rifle and took up position next to Pintel and Ragetti yet again. Pintel cleaned the cannon, Ragetti put in the ball, and Henry rammed it in, prepping it for the upcoming barrage.

"Prepare to fire, ye bloomin' cockroaches!" Barbossa shouted, raising his sword up high. At this action, lightning filled the sky as well as thunder.

Jack went back up to the helm and stood next to Carina, asking, "How much farther till we find the island?"

"Nearly there!" Carina said, "Long as we get through here without any more undue surprises!"

"Just prepare for this next barrage, savvy?" Jack suggested, "You're doing great!"

The _Black_ _Pearl_ readied her starboard cannons, the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ her port, and both were ready to meet the _HMS Essex._

Scarfield sneered as the ship sailed closer. He would kill those pirates for certain.

But then, the British captain heard a terrible noise that sounded like creaking wood. Surely it couldn't be the _Essex._ This was one of the finest ships ever constructed.

He heard panicking among his crew, all of whom were backing up in terror as they faced towards their port side. The creaking became louder and louder, and Scarfield then turned his head to face whatever was making the noise. It was too dark to tell what it was for certain, but he thought he saw something when the lightning flashed. Something horrific.

Scarfield felt water dripping on his uniform, and the monstrous form that had been making the noise was now close enough for him to see.

The underside of a ship, with the ribs divided like a set of jagged, sharp teeth, raised high in the air.

The _Silent Mary_ closed its teeth upon the _Essex,_ crashing against its decks and causing the British man o' war to explode in a fiery wreck. The fire from the ship lingered, illuminating the Spaniards' presence to every ship in the area. The crew of ghosts looked to have evil grins upon their faces as some of them cheered at their handiwork, while Armando Salazar had one of his clammy, rotten hands on the wheel, and a look of insane, absolute rage.

Jack's face went pale with shock, and he dropped his raised sword upon the deck.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

Not now.

Not when they were so close.

"Christ alive!" Gibbs cried out in terror as he saw the _Mary_ emerge from the fiery wreck of the _Essex._

Up ahead, two frigates, one British and one pirate, foolishly attempted to engage the ghostly ship from both sides. But before they could unleash their barrage, both of the _Mary's_ sides unleashed a hellish double-broadside that looked like fire at the two ships.

"Hit them below the water line! _Vamos, vamos!"_ Salazar barked at his men, that look of rage not once wavering from his expression, and the undead Spaniards kept on firing at the ships until nothing was left of them but ash and burning wood. They did not stop to check their progress for the ships were completely obliterated, and now they began to sail their way towards the _Revenge_ and the _Pearl._

Everyone on board began to panic. Whatever spirit they had to fight was crushed by the sight of the _Silent Mary_ right for them. They would not survive this.

"Oh my God," Carina said plainly, but she was in shock as well from the horror she just witnessed.

"We need to get out of here. Now," Jack spoke low, his eyes transfixed on the approaching ship captained by a revenant thirsting for his blood.

Carina was brought out of her state of shock, and was now looking towards Jack, who was still staring at the approaching _Mary._

"What?" Carina asked in confusion, "Why would we leave when we're so near the end?"

Jack turned to face her and said, "Are you mad!? We'll die if we continue on!"

"I thought you were the one who said that we had to stand and fight not long ago," Carina began, "Now you want to back out?"

"That's when I thought we had a chance," Jack explained, "But we don't have a chance... not against that."

He pointed out towards the decrepit ship getting closer to them.

"Henry told me stories about you," Carina said, "He said that you faced down a kraken without fear, that you braved against Davy Jones in a maelstrom, that you were the greatest pirate of all time. Was he just telling tales?"

Jack wanted to say that this was different, that Salazar was a different beast altogether. He wanted to tell her that he didn't want her to get hurt because she was his child. But he couldn't. He just stood there not saying a word. And he hated himself for it.

"You told me that whatever happens, I would stay my course," Carina spoke up, "I'm staying my course, Captain. This is my choice. I will make my father proud."

Those words struck something inside the old pirate. She didn't have to prove anything to him. But he couldn't be more proud than he was in that moment. She was an adult, able to make her own decisions, having courage to stare death in the face where he lacked it.

Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, and he cryptically said, "He already is, Ms. Smyth."

Taking his hand off her shoulder, he picked up his sword from the deck, and he said, "WE'RE NOT FINISHED HERE! WE FIGHT ON!"

The crew looked up towards Jack, and immediately they started to regain some of their courage. They stood close at the guns, prepping for the incoming attack.

"AYE, HE BE RIGHT!" Barbossa relayed, "HOLD FAST, MEN! DYIN' IS THE DAY WORTH LIVIN' FOR!"

The _Silent Mary_ was now within firing range of the two pirate ships. Salazar's eyes scanned the deck of the blackened ship, and his gaze rested upon the man that had caused him so much agony: _Jack Sparrow._

At the mere sight of his face, Salazar gritted his teeth, and black blood began to drip from his mouth again. He was fuming with anger, his wheezing more audible than it had ever been. He would kill Sparrow this night, along with every other pirate and soldier here, and he would finally have his revenge.

" _For you, Maria,"_ Salazar muttered under his breath, " _For you, Anton. For you, Raoul."_

As the crew's of the _Pearl_ and the _Revenge_ prepared for the onslaught, Salazar used his connection to the _Mary_ to raise the ship up again. This would be quick and clean. Not the suffering he wanted to inflict, but Jack would be killed nonetheless.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Pintel commented, and Ragetti formed the sign of the cross.

"RAWK!" Cotton's parrot squawked, "DON'T EAT ME! DON'T EAT ME!"

Acting quickly, Barbossa raised the Sword of Triton up on high and used its magical properties to freeze the _Mary_ before it could come crashing down on the _Pearl._

" _Maldito!"_ Salazar cursed, but truth be told he was glad that it wouldn't end so soon. Now he could take his time in tearing Jack apart, limb from limb.

"I can keep his infernal wreck off of us, but not much else!" Barbossa shouted as he continued to point his sword towards the _Mary,_ which was requiring all his effort to keep from crashing down on top of them.

" _Capitan!"_ Lesaro called out to Salazar, "What do we do now?"

Salazar's face cracked into a wicked grin.

"We engage, _Teniente,"_ Salazar responded. He veered the ship to port where the ship was now raised over the water, and used what power he could to bring the ship back down to sail along the water. They would be unable to use the ship-killer, but that wouldn't stop them from fighting.

"Prepare to fire double-broadside!" Salazar ordered, stepping away from the wheel as another of his men took it, "Send this pirate scum back to hell!"

"Haul on the main brace! Make ready the guns!" Scrum ordered from the deck of the _Revenge._ Over on the _Pearl,_ the same preparations were being made to fight the ghostly Spaniards. Jack had just finished reloading his pistols as he stood next to Murtogg who was at the Puckle gun.

"Prepare for attack!" Jack called out, "Get ready to show these wretched, soulless, transparent jobbernowls who we are!"

The _Mary_ was now in the field of fire of the _Pearl_ and the _Revenge;_ they could hear the cries of the undead seagulls flying around the broadside might not be enough to kill them, but it would be enough to damage their ship and slow them down. If Carina was right, the Trident of Poseidon wasn't far away and they could finally kill them.

" _FUEGO!"_ Salazar bellowed.

"FIRE!" Jack ordered.

"FIRE!" Barbossa shouted.

"FIRE ALL!" Scrum screamed.

" _FUEGO TODO!"_ Lesaro relayed.

Dozens upon dozens of cannons fired out. The smoke from the first few seconds of the four-way barrage was so sulfurous and cloudy that it was impossible to make out an inch of detail.

"Concentrate fire at the stern!" Jack called out. More cannon fire rang out through the night. The _Mary's_ fiery cannon shot struck the _Revenge's_ port and the _Pearl's_ starboard, but both ships had held off surprisingly well from the onslaught. The cannonballs of the two pirate ships didn't do as much damage to the cursed ship, but damage was inflicted nonetheless.

Carina had to duck again because one of the _Mary's_ cannon shots almost hit her head and took off one of the wheel's handles. If she hadn't moved when she did, she'd probably be missing a hand.

The _Mary_ had made it past the two pirate ships without inflicting too much damage. Soon after, Salazar gave the order to his men to reload, and then the ship veered hard to port to get itself moving in the same direction as the pirate ships.

"Come along their sides and prepare for another double!" Salazar ordered, and then, somehow, the _Mary_ started to pick up immense speed despite its burnt sails. Somehow, it's cursed state made it faster than the _Black Pearl_ and her fantastical properties.

"How's that even possible!?" Henry asked aloud, "I thought the _Pearl_ was the fastest ship in the Caribbean!"

"It was," Ragetti spoke up, "Until now."

The pirate crews of both ships made haste to reload their guns and prepared for the next broadside. The orders to fire came again, and sulfurous smoke filled the air as the massive barrage was unleased. A few cannons on the pirate ships were knocked out of place, but they still remained afloat and their numbers were plenty.

"BOARD! NOW, _MI AMIGOS!"_ Salazar ordered, and the Spanish let out a mighty war cry.

"Jack, hide!" Carina called out, "He's after you!"

Jack turned to face Carina, and he knew she was right. He was top priority for Salazar right now. With haste, he leapt off the top deck and proceeded to take cover behind the main mast.

Lezaro gave Salazar his rapier and scabbard, and afterwards the pair of them and about half the crew (the other half having leapt onto the _Revenge)_ leapt off the _Mary_ onto the deck of the _Pearl._

"Jack _Spaaaaa-rrrroooooowwww_!" Salazar called out in a sing-song voice, giddy as a schoolboy, "Jack _Spaaaa-rrrroooooooowwwww!_ Time to give _El Diablo_ his due!"

Jack remained behind the main mast, and soon enough the ghosts became engaged in fearsome hand-to-hand combat with the pirates aboard. Unlike the British, the ghosts could not be killed. Guns only worked as a stunning tool. The most they could do was hold them off with their swords until they got to the Trident.

Salazar's eyes turned to his left and he saw Carina standing at the wheel of the _Pearl._ He raised an eyebrow, wondering what this young woman was doing aboard a pirate ship. Perhaps she knew where Sparrow was.

He quickly limped towards the deck with his rapier, cutting down two pirates that stood in his path as he neared her. Carina just then noticed that Salazar was walking directly towards her, and her eyes widened in both shock and fear. Grinning, Salazar stuck his rapier on the bottom step up towards the helm, but before he could take another step, he heard that voice again.

" _Oi, Spaniard!"_

Salazar quickly turned around, his wavy hair obscuring his vision for a brief moment, before he saw Jack Sparrow standing near the bow of the ship, waving his arms to get his attention.

"You lookin' for me, _Cap-EE-tan?"_ Jack said in a confident tone, but there was an underlying hint of his fear of what was about to happen. Salazar had no idea why he'd expose himself like this, but nevertheless his eyes filled with hatred as he limped hastily towards him, not even bothering with the pirates in his pathway.

" _Sparrow,"_ Salazar muttered with venom in his voice, "At last."

"How do you do, Armando?" Jack tried to put on a brave face, mocking a bow for good measure, but it wasn't working as well as he hoped.

"Tonight is the night I kill you," Salazar spoke again, spitting black blood out of his mouth.

"I'd like to see you try," Jack smirked, "The terms from before still apply, you know."

"That being?" Salazar asked.

"Surrender to me now, and I will let you live," Jack taunted, using the same threat he made to him thirty years ago.

Salazar lost his temper, and immediately he lunged forward with his rapier in an attempt to pierce Jack through his heart. Jack immediately pulled out his hanger and deflected the strike to his left, and Salazar attempted to attack again by swinging from the top. Jack blocked that advance as well, and then Salazar gave a rapid mixture of high and low attacks. Jack was being forced back by Salazar's attacks, but he was able to defend against each one. For how long, he didn't know.

Salazar was throwing all his energy into his thrusts, and soon enough he had pushed Jack all the way over to the edge of the bow. He struck a particularly hard blow that sent him back into the rail, and Jack breathed heavily for a moment. Seizing this moment of weakness, Salazar lunged forward and tried to decapitate Jack, only for the pirate to block the ghost's advance and hold the blades in place for a moment. Reeling back, Salazar tried to go for another decapitation shot, but missed when Jack ducked and rolled out of the way at the last minute. Getting his bearings, Salazar saw Jack standing next to the foremast.

Reeling his sword back, Salazar attempted once again to strike at Jack's head, but Jack ducked at the last second and the only things the Spaniard's rapier made contact with was the wood of the foremast and the lantern hanging there, which fell onto the deck with a crash.

Jack had run over to the port rail, and he could see the British fleet engaged with the other pirate ships. He was thinking this was good, because as long as the British's attention was off of them, they could deal with the Spanish.

Salazar pulled his sword out of the foremast, and resumed his attention towards Jack, who held his own sword in a firm grip as he tried to keep a focused face on his enemy. Salazar began to run towards him, and then stepping on the back of an unmanned cannon propelled himself upward and was prepared to strike down upon him. Jack leapt back at the last second as Salazar's rapier sunk through the deck, but the motion of which caused him to fall down on the deck himself. Quickly getting up, he was able to parry Salazar's incoming blows as he was pushed back further towards the stern of the ship. Along the way, Jack noticed the rest of his crew engaged with Salazar's, and noticed they were able to hold their own. Henry was using his musket's barrel to protect himself from incoming sword strikes, while Barbossa was standing in place holding out the Sword of Triton making sure the _Mary_ didn't crush them.

Focusing his attention back on Salazar, Jack realized that he had to do something to even the odds. He swung his sword offensively at the same time Salazar's did, and their blades came together once more. The hold was maintained as both men grunted to maintain it. Salazar's eyes were seething with rage, and Jack could feel his foul breath on him.

Acting quickly, Jack raised his right leg and kneed Salazar in the chest. It elicited only a mere grunt from Salazar, but Jack took the opportunity and, using his left arm, pushed the ghost over the port rail and into the water.

Jack looked over the rail to see what had become of Salazar, only to see him lying face-first on top of the water like it were a floor.

"Bugger," Jack spoke, and he began to run over towards the starboard bow as Salazar picked himself up and started running across the top of the water back towards the _Pearl._ Getting back on the deck, Salazar scanned the area to see where Jack had gone, and he saw that he had made his way to the bow again. Limping forward, Salazar, ever committed to his goal of revenge, made his way to the bow, only to see that Jack had disappeared.

" _Que?"_ Salazar asked himself, and then he heard the sounds of rope being pulled. Turning his head to his right, he saw Jack standing on the bow rail holding one of the ship lines facing away from him. Before he could do anything, Jack had leapt off the ship holding on the rope, using it as a pendulum to get onto the deck of the _Mary_ and away from Salazar, screaming while he did so.

Salazar raised an eyebrow in confusion.

As Jack was nearing the deck of the _Mary,_ he realized the rope wasn't going as far as he was hoping, and he started swinging back the other direction. Screaming, he started swinging back the other way and his grip on the rope became weak. His hands slipped, and he ended up smacking against the side of one of the _Mary's_ guns. Jack had to grip on it to prevent from falling in the ocean.

Salazar leapt off the deck of the _Pearl_ and grabbed one of the wooden planks on the side of the _Mary._ Jack looked up and screamed when he saw Salazar before him.

"There's nowhere to hide!" Salazar shouted, swinging his rapier at him. Acting quickly, Jack leapt off the cannon and landed on one of the _Pearl's_ lower guns instead. He picked himself up and saw that Salazar was now standing on one of the _Mary's_ guns level with his own. Salazar leapt forward onto another one of his guns closer to Jack, and raised his sword upward. Jack put his back towards his own ship as he raised his sword and prepared to fight.

Salazar let out a blood-curdling yell, and swung towards Jack. Jack blocked it and met a series of quick strikes from Salazar's blade. Both men were careful to keep their footing on the guns as the raging ocean lie just beneath them.

Jack thought this was insane, but then he reminded himself that he'd seen stranger.


	20. Never Shall We Die, Part II

The situation over on the _Queen Anne's Revenge_ was more or less the same as what was happening on the _Black Pearl._ The pirates, led by Scrum, were putting forth all their might to repel Salazar's ghostly crew. However, no matter how many shots they fired or how many blows they landed, they just kept coming. If something didn't change soon, they were all going to die.

Meanwhile, the British and pirate fleets were still engaged with each other. None dared to get close enough for boarding, but a hefty amount of cannon fire was exchanged by the two sides. Balls ripped through hulls, masts, sails, and sometimes the unfortunate sailors that were in the path of the artillery.

On the deck of the _Pearl,_ Henry was fending off one of Salazar's men with the barrel of his gun. It was hard to gain an advantage over an opponent that couldn't be hurt. Eventually, he struck the ghost in the head (what was left of it anyway), and ran off, knowing that beating these guys would be a matter of just surviving long enough to reach land. He climbed up the rigging on the starboard side and started to reload his musket, not knowing when he'd get another chance to do so.

While he was doing so, Henry looked down over the starboard side to see Jack dueling with Salazar - standing on the cannons of their ships out over the water. Henry was perplexed, for he had never seen such an odd place to do battle before. For a minute, Henry watched as the captains exchanged lightning-fast blows with each other, taking note that most of Salazar's strikes were offensive while Jack's were defensive.

Henry realized that in this time he was up here, he could be doing something. So, after he finished loading his musket, he made sure his legs were wrapped tight on the rigging, and aimed his gun towards Salazar.

Salazar was wearing Jack out, and Jack knew it. The Spaniard struck a particularly hard blow that knocked Jack's sword-arm to his right, leaving his chest wide open to attack. Noticing this, Henry took aim and shot at Salazar's shoulder before he could strike at Jack, disorienting the ghost for a brief moment.

Taking the opportunity Henry had given him, Jack leapt to his left away from Salazar. He stepped off the _Pearl's_ cannon and onto one of the _Mary's_ that was closest to him. By the time Salazar had regained his focus after Henry's gunshot, he looked to his right to see Jack standing on the cannon next to him. Without hesitation he raised his sword up and tried to deliver a heavy blow, which Jack rebuffed before facing away from Salazar again. Jack then leapt off the _Mary's_ gun back onto one of the _Pearl's,_ and continued on with this pattern as he jumped from gun to gun, stepping off one to reach the other. Salazar followed suit and chased Jack in the same manner as he was fleeing.

* * *

Carina was still sailing the _Pearl_ to the best of her ability, making sure the ship was lined up with the constellation. She was starting to panic a little; if they didn't find the island soon, then the route would vanish completely. Nevermind the fact that if they didn't find land soon, Salazar's crew would slaughter them.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, _c'mon!"_ Carina practically begged, "It has to be here somewhere!"

"REEF! REEEEEEEEEEF!" she hears Gibbs shout out, and Carina looks ahead, nearly straining her eyes to make out the rocky formation directly in front of them. It stretched out completely in front of the _Pearl_ and even accounted for some distance to their left. The _Mary,_ however, did not have such an obstruction in front of them.

This was _not_ good.

"Ye need to veer off, lass! Now!" Barbossa shouted up towards her, "Hard to port!"

Carina panicked, "Which one's port again!?"

Before Barbossa could vent his frustrations, he took notice of a British warship coming up close to their port side. Any closer and they'd be trapped between them and the _Mary,_ and would be forced into the reef ahead.

"We're all going to die," Barbossa mumbled to himself.

Carina looked around, trying to figure out some way of getting out of this situation. Her eyes kept darting from the approaching British ship, over to the _Mary,_ to the reefs ahead, to the crew on the de-

_Of course!_ she thought, _It's absolutely mad, but it could work!_

"I got an idea!" Carina shouted out, "But we'll need grappling hooks!"

Soon enough, whatever men currently weren't engaged with Salazar's made their way below decks to fetch the hooks like Carina requested, and brought them back up to the top deck.

"When I say so, get ready to throw the hooks starboard!" Carina ordered.

One of the pirates looked to starboard to see the _Silent Mary_ right next to them. He looked back towards Carina and asked, "Are you sure you don't mean port, lass?"

"No, I mean starboard!" Carina said firmly, remembering that starboard was right, "Just trust me!"

Reluctantly, the pirates did as she instructed and stood at the ready on the starboard side. It was then that Barbossa realized what her plan was.

She was going to perform a bootleg turn. Just like Jack had done all those years ago at the Devil's Triangle.

And her plan was based on pure _instinct._

"She's daft, you know that, Captain?" Pintel commented, to which Barbossa replied, "Aye, daft like Jack!"

The British ship was getting closer to their port, the reef closer to their bow, and Carina took a deep breath.

She began rapidly turning the wheel hard to port, gritting her teeth while she did so. As she did, the _Pearl_ started to veer hard to port as well and turned the ship to the left. Because of Carina's sudden and risky move, the British had to veer off themselves to avoid the _Pearl_ colliding into their ship.

_"Nyrrrgh!"_ Carina grunted as she exterted all her strength to keep the wheel going to port. Some of the men and ghosts had fallen over from such a hard shift, which was good because it gave the pirates time to recover for the next series of attacks the ghosts would unleash on them.

Meanwhile, Jack and Salazar's dueling over the water had been broken up by the sharp turn, with Salazar giving Jack a vengeful scowl as the _Mary_ continued going straight ahead while the _Pearl_ was making a detour. Jack heaved a sigh of relief and was standing atop of one of the cannons near the bow.

Thankfully, Carina's effort had paid off, because the _Pearl_ had avoided colliding with the reef at the last possible second.

"We steered clear!" Gibbs happily relayed.

"Throw the hooks onto the reef! Let it grab us!" Carina ordered, "Now!"

There was confusion as to what exactly her plan was among them, but the pirates nevertheless did as they told and threw the grappling hooks, which then latched themselves onto the reef which was now to their starboard.

Jack was watching all of this unfold as he stood on the cannon still, seeing the grappling hooks fly over his head and onto the reef in front of him. Had this really been all Carina's idea?

Jack laughed; she had most certainly gotten this from him.

As soon as the hooks attached themselves, Carina began to quickly turn the wheel the other direction, moving the ship hard to starboard. Like before, it required her to exert all her energy, and also like before it knocked down more than a few people on deck. Nevertheless, the ship started to sail around the reef they had just come alongside, and the plan was once they got around it was to get back on the route right next to the _Silent Mary._

Barbossa had lost his balance from the sudden shift of movement, which was already difficult to maintain with a peg-leg, and he fell over on his front. The Sword of Triton slipped through his grasp and slid over towards a cannon slot in the starboard rail. Barbossa gasped, because the sword was now sitting on the edge just barely managing to stay on the ship. If he lost it, nothing could stop the _Mary_ from crushing them.

Quickly, he began to army-crawl his way towards the sword, dodging past the constantly shifting feet of pirates and Spaniards. The sword looked to be teetering over towards the edge, the weight of the blade working against it.

Salazar felt the connection between himself and the _Mary_ become open again. He considered using the ship-killer again, but decided that he wanted to try something different. A little more... up-close.

Barbossa had managed to reach the sword at just the right moment, because when he got there the sword had slid from its position and over the edge. Acting quickly, Barbossa grabbed the handle before it could be claimed by the sea forever, and heaved a sigh of relief once he had hold of it again.

Pulling the sword back through the hole, Barbossa heard an inhuman scream come from behind him and saw that one of Salazar's men was charging right at him. The ghost reeled his own sword back to strike at Barbossa, but Barbossa had managed to put the Sword of Triton between his body and the blade at the right moment.

He repelled the ghost's advance, and Barbossa began to stand up quickly, engaging the ghost head-on.

"Go back to the Hell from which ye came, ya poxy cur!" Barbossa snarled as he and the ghost exchanged blows.

Carina was still turning the wheel hard to starboard, and she could feel the burn in her arms as she exerted herself to limits she never knew she had. Eventually, they had made their way around the reef, and Carina sighed in relief as she let go of the wheel and straightened the ship out.

"Cut the lines!" she ordered, and the men cut the lines of the grappling hooks they'd just thrown so they wouldn't turn into the reef again. Afterwards, Carina saw that they were sailing right towards the _Silent Mary._ The sane side of her was saying that she should steer clear of the haunted ship, but the reasonable voice in her head knew that they had to get back alongside to follow the route to the Trident.

Carina turned the ship hard to port again, getting the _Pearl_ aligned with the _Mary_ again. It knocked the ghost that was fighting Barbossa back and the older pirate absconded his position. Carina looked up into the night sky, and saw that they were beneath the constellation again. They were back on track, but Carina knew that it wouldn't be long before the stars vanished completely.

But something popped into her head. They had just passed a particularly high reef, so that must mean...

"Find that island, lass! Or we'll all die!" Barbossa called up to her.

"We're nearly there!" Carina exclaimed, "It's- it's here somewhere!"

* * *

Jack was still standing on one of the _Pearl's_ cannons towards the bow, holding onto the base of the rigging to keep himself upright. As the _Pearl_ was veering back towards the _Mary,_ Jack looked to see where Salazar was, but he couldn't see him along the ghostly ship's port side.

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of creaking wood, and Jack directed his attention towards the _Mary's_ figurehead, a woman holding a long spear. The creaking became more audible, and soon enough Jack saw that the head of the figurehead had _turned_ towards him. Afterwards, its "body" started to break away from the ship, forming arms and legs as it turned from a simple decoration to a seemingly sentient being. All the time, the figurehead kept its attention on Jack, and it raised its spear high up like it was poised to strike.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Jack complained.

The figurehead had finally broken away completely from the _Mary,_ and began to thrust its spear down at Jack. Thinking quickly, Jack leapt back off the gun he was standing on and made a grab for one of the _Pearl's_ cannons on the top deck so he could pull himself back up. But the gun was wet, and so his grip slipped off and he fell. Fortunately, he was able to have his feet land on two adjacent cannons from both the _Mary_ and the _Pearl,_ and flailed his arms to keep his balance for a moment.

Jack looked up and saw that the hulking figurehead was now standing on the guns between both ships at the bow, and it started to raise its spear again. Jack stepped onto the gun of the _Mary,_ and he jumped back when the spear was thrust towards him again. He caught one of the _Mary's_ upper guns and pulled himself up. He looked out towards the figurehead, which was preparing for another strike. He turned around so that he could leap away from it again, but that's when he saw Salazar hanging off the side with his rapier raised.

"AAH!" Jack screamed as the Spaniard swung his sword towards him. He narrowly avoided the strike, but it caused him to lose his balance on the cannon. He slipped and fell, his back hitting against the _Mary's_ gun, flipping him over as he fell onto one of the _Pearl's_ lower guns, groin first.

"OW!" Jack moaned as he felt the pain. He couldn't dwell on it for long, because when he looked in front of him, he saw one of Salazar's men lighting the fuse of the cannon in front of him, a sinister look on his face. Jack's eyes widened in fear, and saw that the _Mary_ was drifting closer to him. The gun started to get dangerously close to his face, and Jack backed up as far as he could until the cannon was pressing his face against his own ship, mere moments away from firing.

Suddenly, the _Mary_ started to drift away from the _Pearl,_ and subsequently the gun moved away from Jack's face. He was about to simply make a run for it, but then he looked upward and saw that the figurehead was now standing atop the deck of the _Mary,_ looking down right at him. He also saw that the cannon was held in place by rope, which was probably so that the guns didn't fall off the ship when Salazar used his ship-killer ability, and also saw that a line of rope lead up to the top deck.

Jack smirked, for he had just gotten another brilliant idea.

As the figurehead prepared to strike, Jack leapt forward and grabbed the rope hanging alongside the _Mary._ His weight pulled him down, but simultaneously pulled the lit cannon out of its slot and pointed it upward towards the figurehead, which subsequently fired. The figurehead's, a _hem,_ head was blown clean off by the shot, along with destroying its wooden spear. Though it did not speak, it appeared to reel back in pain from the cannon shot. Its arm got tangled in the ropes on the top deck, which forced the cannon back down and pulled Jack upward.

Jack let go of the rope and landed on the top deck of the _Mary,_ smiling at his own cleverness once again. However, that moment of victory was cut short by realizing he was now on Salazar's ship, and he turned to his right to see that the Spanish ghosts still aboard had become aware of his presence.

" _Alli! Matenlo!"_ the ship's pilot pointed towards him, and several undead Spanish soldiers came walking towards him with their swords drawn. Jack had his sword at the ready, awaiting what was to come.

"NO!" Salazar's voice shouted out, and all heads aboard the _Mary_ turned to see that Salazar had climbed up over the port rail, "Sparrow is mine!"

Salazar's men backed off, one of them saying " _Capitan's_ orders!"

But it wasn't much relief for Jack because Salazar was now charging towards him. He blocked a couple of quick thrusts here and there before turning and running away towards the _Mary's_ bow.

"What's the matter, _hombre?"_ Salazar taunted, limping towards Jack, "Afraid?"

"... Maybe?" Jack inserted, backing up around the bow and heading backward on the starboard side. Afterwards, he climbed up and began to balance himself on the starboard rail.

"Running away has always been your strategy, Sparrow," Salazar snarled, getting up on top of the rail to face Jack.

"Who says I'm running?" Jack asked rhetorically, but then immediately afterwards Salazar swung his sword at Jack, trading blows with each other yet again. Salazar pressed into Jack, pushing him back along the rail and hoping to make him fall into the sea. He had no idea why he would choose to put himself in a difficult position, though.

Jack had backed up along the rail steadily, careful not to fall over into the water as he led Salazar along. He didn't really have a plan in mind, only to keep him distracted long enough for them to reach land.

He looked over his shoulder and saw they were approaching the _Mary's_ fallen main mast. Thinking quickly, Jack leapt back and balanced himself on the beam, continuing to block Salazar's attacks while he did so. He stepped left, elevating himself above Salazar for a moment, but Salazar merely stepped up and started fighting him on the mast. Since he was already dead, Salazar's stamina couldn't diminish, and so, yet again, he was pushing Jack back, and all he could do was block or dodge his attacks.

Nearing the point where the mast had split, Jack looked down below and saw some of the other ghostly crew aboard with their swords drawn, ready to pounce on him if Salazar pushed him off.

Jack looked up at Salazar, and he knew that, despite his body's protests, he had to start pressing into him. If he was going to win, defending and retreating were not going to be enough.

Jack swung hard, knocking Salazar's sword away from his center so that his chest was left wide open. It wouldn't kill him, but Jack lunged forward and attempted to stab him through the chest. However, Jack immediately regretted his decision when the sword just passed right through him, and worse still, Salazar made himself become solid once more, and Jack couldn't pull his sword out no matter how hard he tried. Salazar just stood there and laughed while he watched the pirate struggle.

After a few moments of struggling, Jack looked up towards Salazar and gave a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry 'bout that, mate," he nervously spoke, and then Salazar's amused expression turned to rage again as he started swinging towards Jack. Jack screamed and ducked from his blow at the last possible second. Salazar kept going for hacking maneuvers like Jack was a swine in a slaughterhouse, and Jack kept moving backwards for now he had no weapon to defend himself with.

Except...

Jack ducked beneath another one of Salazar's blows and reached for the sword still stuck inside his chest. With lightning-fast speed, Jack drew one of his pistols out and quickly fired point-blank at Salazar, causing him to stagger back slightly and for Jack's sword to become dislodged from his chest.

Jack smiled as he now had his weapon back, but the victory was short-lived as Salazar resumed attacking. He managed to strike a blow that knocked Jack's empty pistol from his hand, and Jack knew he had to get off the mast right then and there.

Jack jumped off the mast onto the deck as Salazar swung at him, and then rushed for the starboard side of the _Mary_ before any of the ghosts before could catch up to him. He saw the pirates on the _Revenge_ engaged with more of Salazar's men, but decided that now was the time to run. Jack jumped over the edge and landed upon the _Revenge's_ deck, and then looked behind him to see that Salazar was getting ready to jump off as well.

Salazar jumped down and began fighting Jack again, and the latter knew that this couldn't go on for too much longer. As soon as he got an opportunity, he started to run towards the _Revenge's_ rigging closest to the bow, and began climbing upwards. Salazar, naturally, followed him up, trying to strike his rapier at Jack's boots. Jack eventually climbed to the platform above, and then he grabbed one of the ropes and began swinging towards the stern. Again, like before, the rope didn't grant him enough clearance, and he started swinging back the other way. Salazar got up on the platform and was prepared to strike at Jack when he swung back, but Jack simply loosened his grip on the rope and let himself descend, going out towards the bow. Unfortunately, the rope that Jack was swinging from was within striking range for Salazar, and he cut the rope with one clean swipe.

Jack felt the rope disconnect from the ship him just as he reached the apex of his swing, which happened to be over the water in front of the ship. He started screaming at the same moment he began falling, but at the last second he was saved. Not by his own efforts, but because his overcoat became caught on the tip of the bowsprit.

"Oh," Jack said simply as his fall came to a halt, hanging from the bowsprit by his coat. It was an awkward position to say the least.

The sound of thudding came from behind him, and Jack craned his neck to see Salazar standing at the edge of the bow.

"Would you look at that?" Salazar remarked to no one in particular, "A sparrow that actually thought he could fly."

"To be fair that was more of a... fall," Jack responded, and then he saw the Spaniard walking along the bowsprit towards him. Acting quickly, Jack pulled his arms out of his overcoat as Salazar came closer, and then he was falling yet again. He caught onto the bow cannonades of the _Revenge_ at the last second, surprising the pirates that were stationed below at the guns.

"Er… hello there," Jack waved his hand as he pulled himself upward.

The pirates aboard sheepishly waved back.

"Listen, when I tell you, get ready to fire that fire, savvy?" Jack asked, and the men nodded. Jack looked back up to see Salazar prepared to jump on him yet again (he had an affinity for that, didn't he?), and then clambered his way over to the port guns of the _Revenge_ just as Salazar jumped down onto the bow cannonades. Immediately following that, Jack shouted "FIRE!"

Salazar didn't have time to react before he was consumed with flames. Jack grinned like he had already beaten him, but not long after did Salazar emerge from the flames without a scratch on him, discounting the injuries he had received prior to becoming a ghost.

Jack immediately turned away and started to leap across the gap between the _Revenge_ and the _Mary,_ stepping from gun to gun just as he had done earlier. He was just about to reach the sterns when suddenly the hulking, headless figurehead from earlier climbed down over the side of the _Mary_ and hung from its side. Jack stopped in place and screamed, and then decided to turn back around to get away from it, only for Salazar to show up behind him hanging off the side of the _Mary_ again.

This was not good.

Back over on the _Revenge,_ Jack's overcoat was still hanging from the bowsprit, blowing in the wind as the ship continued moving on into the night. Eventually, the wind was blowing hard enough that the coat was blown right off the bowsprit and started flying over the heads of the pirates and ghosts still fighting with each other. The coat ended up smacking Scrum in the face, who was still piloting the _Revenge_ at that moment.

"AAAH! Get it off me!" Scrum yelled out, trying to pull Jack's coat off his face. The moment he let go of the wheel, the ship began to swerve to port.

Jack looked over toward the figurehead again, and then saw the _Revenge_ swerving over towards them. The monstrous wooden figure was crushed when the _Revenge_ collided with the side of the _Mary,_ in addition to snapping away the _Mary's_ fallen mast completely and having it sink into the ocean.

Jack smirked quickly, but then he looked over towards the _Revenge_ and saw that he was in the path of one of the cannons as it was getting closer to the _Mary._ Screaming, the cannon smashed into him, which caused Jack to smash through a brand new hole that was created in the ghostly ship's side. Jack fell onto the deserted middeck of the _Mary,_ a pile of debris covering him.

* * *

The battle was not going well for the pirates. They kept losing men, and still not one of the ghosts fell. Those that were alive felt their strength draining fast, and there was no land in view yet.

Gibbs, Murtogg, Mullroy, Pintel, Ragetti, Marty, Cotton, and the rest of the men were holding out the best they could. Even Jack the Undead Monkey did his part in trying to disorient the ghosts from landing killing blows on the crew. Cotton's parrot, meanwhile, was up above being chased by the undead seagulls.

"RAWK! Shiver me timbers! Shiver me timbers!" the bird squawked.

Henry had just deflected the blows of the ghost he was fighting, and broke it off and started to run overtop of the cargo they had to get close to the helm.

"Carina!" Henry called out, "How much longer!?"

"We're nearly there, Henry! Just hold on!" Carina responded.

"Please let it be soon!" Henry begged, and resumed fighting again, this time going one-on-one with Lieutenant Lesaro.

Barbossa had been locked in battle himself with one of the ghosts, forsaking his job at keeping the _Mary_ at bay because it didn't seem like Salazar was in a position to use it. So, he used the combined efforts of the Sword of Triton and his (empty) blunderbuss cane to keep his enemies at bay. He parried one of the ghost's advances to his left, only for the transparent figure to quickly raise his sword back and cut across Barbossa's right arm.

"AGH!" Barbossa winced in pain, dropping his cane and holding his left hand to his arm for a moment. It was times like this that gave him pause, and he remembered what it was like to not feel anything at all.

Regaining his focus, Barbossa saw the ghost smiling at him, and, with his temper rising, the pirate pulled out his skull-handled pistol and shot at the ghost, sending him back far.

"Come and get sumthin' from ol' Hector, ya bunch of filthy, spectral bilge rats! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Barbossa bellowed.

* * *

Jack had managed to push the wooden debris off of him, and slowly got up off the ground eliciting sounds of discomfort. He observed his surroundings, and saw that he was inside the _Silent Mary._ The deck was suspiciously empty of all beings. Even though he could hear the sounds of swords clashing and cannons firing, it was eerily quiet where he was standing. Too quiet.

He picked his sword off the deck, and slowly began to walk forward with his weapon raised. He saw the buildup of algae along the walls, the molded wood, the crusted-up cannons, and split deckboards. Since it was a quiet moment, Jack couldn't help but think about how he was responsible for this. He could never have imagined what it must have been like to be trapped in hellish conditions like this for a day, nevermind for several decades.

He actually started to feel bad about what he did to Salazar.

As if on cue, Salazar popped up from around the corner, and Jack screamed in surprise. The Spaniard spun around and struck, his rusted rapier making contact once more with Jack's hanger. The next blow Jack ducked under, and then a series of quick blows followed after that. When it finished, Jack started to breathe heavily, and Salazar took notice of this and did not hesitate to exploit it. He swung hard enough that the force knocked Jack off his feet, who fell face-first back onto the deck.

"You're getting slow, old man," Salazar taunted, laughing while he did so, "To think, you're older now than I ever was. But deep down you're still that boy who ran away all those years ago."

Jack, grunting, had turned back around to look up at Salazar again, who was prepared to come down on him again with another strike. Jack brought his sword up to meet Salazar's and they clashed together. Salazar reeled his arm back and swung hard again, and Jack blocked again. He swung down, again and again, each strike more powerful than the last. Eventually, he had struck so hard that Jack's sword had been flung from his grasp, landing several feet behind where Jack lay.

Jack looked at his weapon, now far away from his reach. He looked back towards Salazar, who kicked him right in the nose.

"UGH!" Jack moaned, placing a hand to his probably-broken nose. He thought he felt blood dripping down his face.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Salazar continued to taunt, "The pain..."

Salazar kicked Jack again, only this time he hit him in the stomach. Jack rolled back from the force of the kick, clambering onto his front as he tried to crawl away from Salazar.

"You've never known pain like I have, Jack," Salazar spat, black blood dripping down his chin, "Never."

Salazar stomped on Jack, causing him to wince as he felt his chest press down on the deck. The Spaniard leaned downward and picked up Jack's tricorn hat right from his head. He held it in his hands and observed it for a moment, scoffing at such a simple thing. After a moment, he threw the hat hard to his right, which went out one of the _Mary's_ port cannon windows and, miraculously, landed right on the deck of the _Pearl._

"You're scum. You and all your kind are a plague to this Earth," Salazar began, kicking Jack again, "I'm here to cleanse your evil from this world once and for all! And when I'm done with you and every last pirate here, piracy will finally die the painful death it so rightfully deserves!"

Jack held his head upward, taking in what Salazar was saying.

He'd heard this speech before, about how once every pirate was dead that it could never rise again.

Oh, how wrong he was.

"Come on, _cobarde!_ Pick up your weapon and fight like a man!" Salazar shouted, backing off to give Jack room, "I want to look into your eyes when I kill you!"

Jack, despite the pain that he felt surging through his body, knew that he had to keep fighting. He had to. There was no way he was going to let this monster be his end. And if he had to face him alone, then so be it. But Jack already knew that he wouldn't have to.

He just had to ask himself why he didn't think of it sooner.

" _The... the..."_ Jack began, coughing, _"The King..."_

Salazar looked at Jack questionably as the pirate started crawling towards his sword slowly.

_"The King... and his men... stole the... Queen... from her bed..."_ Jack spoke, his words sounding like he was trying to sing, _"... and... bound her in... her bones..."_

Salazar recognized the tune he was singing.

"Stop that," Salazar said.

_"The seas... be ours... and by the powers..."_ Jack grabbed hold of his sword, standing himself up, _"... where we will... we'll roam."_

"STOP THAT!" Salazar bellowed, swinging his sword at Jack, but the pirate held firm this time.

_"YO-HO!"_ Jack defiantly sung, _"HAUL TOGETHER!"_

_"I SAID STOP THAT!"_ Salazar screamed, who was absolutely livid at this point, continuing to swing hard at Jack.

_"HOIST THE COLOURS HIGH!"_ Jack continued, and somehow had regained enough strength that he was now pressing into Salazar. One strike after the other, forcing him back down the way they came, _"HEAVE HO! THIEVES AND BEGGARS!"_

Jack began swinging down hard on Salazar, causing the Spaniard to stumble in surprise to this sudden burst of adrenaline from Jack.

_"NEVER - SHALL - WE - DIE!"_

* * *

Henry was still locked in fierce combat with Lesaro, Salazar's loyal right-hand man not once letting up on the boy. Henry was doing the best he could to defend himself with his gun, but Lesaro was far more experienced than him and was striking with all his might.

Henry stepped back after a series of quick blows, and was prepared to whack Lesaro across what was left his head with the butt of his musket. But at the same moment he swung, Lesaro's blade struck particularly hard on the gun, and all at once the weapon snapped in two. It had taken so many hits with swords that it wasn't able to hold together.

Henry's eyes quickly darted to his broken weapon, and then back up to Lesaro who started swinging at him yet again. He had to leap back to avoid having the blade cut his chest, and as a result he fell back onto the deck, dropping his useless musket alongside him. He started backing up on his hands as Lesaro approached him, raising his sword and poised for the kill. The ghostly Spaniard flashed a wicked grin, and because of the eyepatch Henry wasn't able to tell if he was blinking or winking.

Henry's breath picked up, and he closed his eyes, preparing for the end.

"Hey," a hoarse-sounding voice called out from behind Lesaro. The smile disappearing from his face, the ghost slowly turned around to face who was addressing him.

A man stood there, soaking wet from head-to-toe. He had on a red shirt and a black overcoat, but they were covered in all manner of algae and seaweed. He wore a greenish-blue bandana over his head, and his naturally handsome features were partially obscured by crustaceans built up along his face. In his right hand, he held a Royal Navy officer's smallsword, one that he had forged himself twenty years ago.

"Get the hell away from my son," William Turner nearly snarled at Lesaro, and with sudden speed raised his left hand back and punched the ghost hard in the face, sending him falling onto the deck.

Henry looked up at Will with a combination of surprise and relief.

"FATHER!" he called out, recognizing the man before him instantaneously. His face broke out into a wide smile. He hadn't seen his father for near ten years.

The elder Turner, however, did not look as pleased to see his son as his son was to see him.

"What did I tell you, boy!?" Will spoke angrily to Henry, "I told you to stay away from all this!"

Henry's excitement faded as quickly as it came, and the smile disappeared from his face.

"Father, I was just-" Henry began, but Will seized his son's arm with his free hand and hoisted him on his feet.

"I told you not to go after the Trident!" Will yelled, clasping his hand around the back of Henry's neck, "It's a fool's errand!"

"No, father! It's not!" Henry retorted, "We have the map, we're nearly-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" Will shouted again, "I've come to get you out of here!"

"What!?" Henry asked in surprise, "But we're almost there! Jack needs our help!"

"Jack can take care of himself!" Will responded, "I'm not gonna lose you!"

"You've already lost me for twenty years!" Henry shouted in his father's face, pushing his hand off of him. Will stood staring at his son in stunned silence, and the sounds of the battle raging around them seemed to diminish.

"I want you back! Mother wants you back!" Henry yelled in Will's face again, but the latter made no effort to respond, "I've never given up on you, father! And I'll be damned if I start now, now that we're so near the end!"

"Henry-" Will began, but his son cut him off.

"I'm not a child anymore, father!" Henry said, "This is _my_ life, _my_ choice! You've more than endured enough suffering for one lifetime, and I _will_ break your curse! I promised you that, remember?!"

Will continued to stand in silence as Henry had his outburst.

"You can leave if you want, but I'm staying! I'm seeing this through to the end, and I'm going to help Jack!" Henry finished.

Will faced away from his son for a moment, looking towards the ghostly Spanish galleon to his right. He then turned around and saw the pirate crew engaged in combat with the ghosts. He recognized some of them, men he had not seen for near twenty years. Men he had fought alongside in their battle for freedom. They were being overwhelmed, surrounded. If something didn't change, then they were probably all going to die.

He remembers when he died at the hand of Davy Jones. It was not a pleasant memory.

And then he remembers Jack Sparrow. The selfish pirate who had given up his chance for immortality to save him. Without him, Henry would never have been born.

He faces his son again, recognizing this. He comes to his decision.

"I'm not leaving here yet," Will says, smirking placing his hand on Henry's shoulder, "I still have a debt to pay."

Henry's hopes immediately shot back up, and Will took his hand off his son's shoulder and picks up a fallen pirate's cutlass from the deck.

"You're going to need this," Will said, and Henry, despite not knowing how to properly wield a sword, took hold of the weapon.

"Thank you," Henry replied, grateful that his father wasn't going to leave again.

"It's good to see you son," Will smiled. Henry returned the courtesy.

Immediately afterwards, a rumbling occurred beneath the raging ocean. White foam formed at the surface, and the vibration became so intense that it was audible. Without warning, a big splash occurred, and out from under the water rose a monstrous ship, with sails covered in seaweed, a bowsprit resembling the jagged teeth of a beast, and a crew that looked to be taken over by the elements of the ocean, including crustaceans and their body parts resembling that of sea creatures.

All hands, pirate and ghost alike, stopped fighting for a moment and gasped in awe and fear of the rising ship. The crew of that ship had their swords raised and looked poised for a fight.

"It's the _Flying Dutchman,_ boys!" Gibbs called out, "And she's on our side!"

Carina stared at the newly arrived pirate ship. She would've been in more awe if she hadn't seen multiple cursed ships within the last twenty-four hours alone.

Lesaro had regained his stance, being helped up by two of his men, and they all started to look towards the Turners, who were also looking back at them.

_"Pirata!"_ Lesaro spat in venomous anger as he readied himself to fight. The men standing beside him subsequently drew out their swords.

"So," Will remarked, studying the spectral features of the Spanish in front of him closely and realizing something, "you must be the lost souls. The ones I couldn't lay to rest."

"We were trapped in the Devil's Triangle because of filth like you!" Lesaro shouted.

"Aye, and I'm sorry that I couldn't enter to deliver you to the next life," Will spoke plainly, "No man deserves such suffering. Allow me to help you."

"Oh, we're not ready to rest just yet," Lesaro threatened, "First we'll feast on your _blood!"_

At this, Lesaro lunged forward with his sword and impaled Will through his chest, causing the _Dutchman's_ captain to groan in pain for a moment before regaining his composure and looking at the Spanish lieutenant in his eye.

Lesaro looked confused. How was he not dead?

It seemed as if Will was able to read his mind, because almost immediately afterwards he smirked and said, "One of the perks of being immortal. Now, I suppose we'll have to do this the less kind way."

Angrily, Lesaro pulled his sword out and was prepared to cleave Will's head from his shoulders if that's what it took. Will raised his smallsword and began fighting the ghost.

One of the other ghosts standing alongside Lesaro lunged forward with his sword and began to fight Henry. The younger Turner did his best to block, but he had had no practice with actual swordfighting before, so he knew he had to anticipate his enemy's strikes as best as he could.

Meanwhile, the _Dutchman_ had made herself prepped and ready for battle, and began sailing the opposite direction of the _Pearl,_ the _Mary,_ and the _Revenge._ From her starboard side, she was firing out cannon shots toward the British ships nearby, but that was not her priority. The ship began to veer hard to port and was now sailing directly behind the _Mary._

The ghost crew that was onboard the _Mary_ noticed the _Dutchman_ sailing in behind them, and hasty orders were made to make for the aft turrets to fire upon the approaching ship. The Spanish got in position in the castle-like turrets and began firing on the _Dutchman_ to little effect. Not a moment later, the _Dutchman_ revealed its two triple-barreled guns at the bow and started firing upon the _Mary,_ concentrating their fire at the aft turrets which splintered even more than they already were.

The _Dutchman_ started to gain on the _Mary,_ and as it got closer the crew assembled close to the bow so they could leap forward and overtake the ghost ship. Once they were close enough, the sea-like crew jumped onto the rear of the ship and climbed their way up top, and started engaging the small amount of ghosts at the helm.

"The _Mary's_ being boarded!" one of the Spanish officers on the deck of the _Pearl_ shouted, and all at once several of their numbers broke off fighting the pirates on both ships and began clambering their way over to the _Mary_ to fight off the _Dutchman's_ crew.

The ghost that Barbossa had been fighting had fled back to his ship, and that afforded him with an opportunity to rest for a few moments. He turned his head to the right to see Will and Henry fighting off the ghosts that were still remaining. Eventually, Lesaro and his man broke off from fighting the Turners and made their way back to the _Mary._

"Mr. Turner!" Barbossa called out, and at that moment both Will and Henry turned to face Barbossa and answered at the same time, "Yes?"

Will then noticed who it was speaking to him, and his mind flashed back decades ago when he had fought both against and alongside Jack's mutinous first mate.

"Captain Barbossa!" Will said in surprise, smiling, "My God, am I glad to see a familiar face!"

"Me? I'm the one glad to see _you,"_ Barbossa began, "and I must admit ye couldn't have picked a better time!"

"I heard the call of the Brethren and knew I had to answer," Will replied, looking down towards Barbossa's peg-leg.

"What happened to your leg?" Will asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What happened to yer face?" Barbossa retorted, gesturing towards the crustaceans built along his face.

"Fair point," Will responded, "Where's Jack?"

* * *

Jack was still pressing into Salazar, not letting the ghost have anything close to an opportunity for even a second. He kept swinging into him as hard as he could, and in his mind he kept repeating the same message to himself.

_Keep him away from Carina just a little longer. She'll get us to safety. Keep him off her._

Jack, much to his own surprise, managed to disarm Salazar, his rapier flying over to the middle of the gundeck. The Spaniard looked in astonishment as the old, bruised, and battered pirate managed to best him in one-on-one combat.

_"Que demonios!?"_ Salazar exclaimed, looking from his empty hand back to Jack, who was pointing his sword out towards him.

"Just give it up, Salazar," Jack spoke plainly, but Salazar wouldn't have it.

"Never," Salazar spat, "I vowed that I would make you pay for what you did to me, and I intend to keep my promise."

"Do you think revenge against me is going to undo your curse?" Jack questioned, "No, it's time you moved on, mate."

"How _dare_ you tell me to move on!" Salazar shouted, "You don't know what I've had to endure because of you!"

"Nor do I much care," Jack said, but he regretted those words a moment later when Salazar charged at him. Jack tried to lunge forward and stab him through the chest, but his sword harmlessly phased through the ghost. At the same time, Salazar's cold, dead hands wrapped themselves around Jack's throat and the two of them fell onto the deck floor.

Jack had to let go of his hanger as he reached both hands towards his throat, trying desperately to pry Salazar's hands off before he suffocated him. He could feel the Spaniard's grip tightening and his flow of air being cut off, for he started to sputter at the mouth as he thrashed violently on the deck.

Salazar was unmoving, consumed with rage as his grip tightened around his arch-nemesis's throat. The anger of what Jack had done to him was ever present, and his thoughts were nothing less than pure fury as he attempted to choke the life from the pirate.

Using what strength he could, Jack managed to push away Salazar's hands from his throat for a moment, catching his breath. Immediately afterwards, Salazar's grip was back on his throat, only this time he hoisted Jack on his feet and slammed him against one of the inner walls of the _Mary._

As he held Jack against the wall, Salazar realized something as he watched the pirate struggle to escape.

"You're afraid..." Salazar wheezed, "... but not of me."

Salazar loosened his grip for a moment, and Jack ceased struggling and looked into the dead man's eyes.

"No... I've seen men who are afraid of me... and you're not one of them," Salazar spoke, though his voice sounded more curious than threating of that moment, "You fear not for yourself... but for something... _someone."_

Jack's heartrate sped up at that moment. How did he know? There was no way he could know. Not a soul alive knew about Carina except for him and Barbossa.

"I'm not going to kill you, Jack," Salazar spoke softly, "Not yet. I'm going to keep you alive long enough to learn what it is you fear most."

_No, please don't. For the love of God, please don't._

There were battle cries coming up from above deck that seemed to be drawing closer to them, and Jack and Salazar turned their heads to see several of the _Dutchman's_ crew were descending down the stairs towards them with their swords raised. Among the men present were...

_"William!?"_ Jack called out, recognizing Bootstrap Bill Turner instantaneously among the lot.

_"Turner!"_ Salazar hissed with venom in his voice, recognizing the man as one of the _Pearl's_ crew the day he died.

"Jack!" Bootstrap shouted, and at that moment the sea-like crew of the _Dutchman_ surrounded the ghostly Spanish captain with their swords raised. Salazar looked at each and every one of them, knowing he was surrounded. But seeing as he couldn't die, this wouldn't be a problem.

Salazar let go of Jack's throat and Jack fell down onto the floor right next to where he dropped his sword. The next moment, one of the _Dutchman's_ crew (who looked like a seahorse) lunged forward with his cutlass and tried to strike at Salazar, but the Spaniard easily evaded his blow and took hold of the sword by its handle. He then turned it around and impaled it through the crewmember's stomach, who hollered in pain for a moment before Salazar pulled it back out. Another one (who looked like a hammerhead shark) tried to strike at him from behind, but Salazar quickly moved his sword to his back and blocked that advance, turning around and slashing the crewmember across his chest.

Jack didn't hesitate a moment after that, picking up his sword and rushing towards the stairway that led up to the top deck of the _Mary._ Bootstrap subsequently followed after him while the other men stayed below to keep Salazar occupied for a moment.

"What mess have you gotten yourself into this time, Jack?" Bootstrap asked Jack as they reached the top deck of the _Mary,_ where the ghosts and sea creatures were engaged in heavy combat with each other.

Jack turned around to face his former crew member. Not surprisingly, he looked pretty much the same as when he saw him, except there was noticeably less crustaceans and the starfish was absent from his face.

"Remember the Devil's Triangle? Before the mutiny?" Jack responded with, and it did not take long for Bootstrap to put two and two together, saying, _"Salazar?"_

"That was my reaction, too. Anyway, that was him just below," Jack gestured towards the stairwell from which they just came.

"Oh, great. And now you've gone and gotten my grandson involved, have you?" Bootstrap bitterly replied, to which Jack said, "To be fair, he sought _me_ out to free you and your bloody eunuch son, so you're welcome."

Bootstrap scoffed, "You haven't changed."

"You have no idea, mate," Jack replied sternly, and their attention was back on the battle around them. The immortal crews of the _Mary_ and the _Dutchman_ were pretty much in a stalemate as they kept pressing into each other ferociously.

"We have to get back to the _Pearl!"_ Jack commented, and Bootstrap nodded in agreement. They ran to the port rail and jumped over, rolling onto the deck of the blackened pirate ship.

At the moment they did, Salazar, having dispatched with the _Dutchman_ crewmembers below on the gun deck, limped his way up the staircase holding onto his rusted rapier and the cutlass he took off the one who attacked him earlier.

"Come on, _mis amigos!"_ Salazar called out to his men, "Press into them! Don't let this pirate scum get the best of you!"

As he finished, two of the _Dutchman's_ crew charged towards him. Salazar easily parried their advances with both of his weapons, and subsequently ran them through. He quickly pulled the swords out, and was delighted to see their blood coating the blades. He moved on, fighting off the _Dutchman's_ crew with such speed and ferocity, relishing in each strike he made.

The Spanish defending the _Mary_ felt motivated by the sight of their captain's commitment to their cause, and they gave off a rallying cry and started to push the _Dutchman's_ crew back.

* * *

Jack picked himself off the deck of the _Pearl_ and looked ahead of him, and before him stood Will, looking right at him with a look ranging from incredulousness to gladness.

"Will Turner, is that you?" Jack asked, not believing his eyes. He hadn't seen the man in twenty years. Not since that day at Shipwreck Cove where everything changed.

"You called me, remember?" Will commented with a smirk, and Jack got to his feet.

"Not a bad look, if you ask me," Jack said, referencing Will's cursed appearance, to which the latter rolled his eyes, "How's immortality been?"

"Bleak, very bleak," Will said, "Ferrying souls gets a bit depressing after a while."

"Ah, well," Jack remarked, "with a bit of luck, you won't have to do it for much longer thanks to your son. He's a good kid, Will."

"Thank you for watching out for him, Jack," Will said, and his voice was slightly tense because he felt guilt for not being the one by Henry's side.

The reunion between old friends was cut short by the sound and sight of the _Dutchman's_ crew leaping off the deck of the _Mary_ and onto the decks of the _Pearl_ and the _Revenge,_ followed closely behind by the Spanish ghosts. Jack backed up and stood alongside Will, both men holding their swords at the ready.

"I wish the circumstances were better," Will began, "but it's good to see you again, brother."

"You too," Jack commented, eyes on the Spanish as they descended down. Immediately afterwards, Bootstrap Bill and Barbossa joined up alongside them.

"Figured ye could use an extra hand in this fight," Barbossa commented, holding the Sword of Triton firmly in his grasp.

"Just like old times, eh Jack?" Bootstrap inserted.

"Ain't it just?" Jack quipped, and the men stood at the ready as the ghosts landed on the deck. Salazar, brandishing both his swords, leapt down in front of the four, eyeing them all with venomous rage. Soon after, Lesaro landed to Salazar's left, and two more men joined them.

_"KILL THEM ALL!"_ Salazar bellowed, and he and his men charged at the pirates. Intense fighting resumed throughout the ship as the crews of both the _Pearl_ and the _Dutchman_ attempted to defend themselves from the _Mary's_ crew.

The line of the four legendary pirates was broken as they each engaged one of the crew. Salazar was using both of his swords and pressing into Jack, pushing him over towards the bow. Will and Bootstrap were engaging Lesaro side by side, and the Spanish officer hastily was blocking incoming strikes from both sides. Barbossa, using the Sword of Triton, was fighting off two ghosts at the same time, and proved to everyone that neither his age nor his injuries prevented him from being a formidable warrior.

* * *

Carina looked down at the raging battle on the deck with high anxiety. She wondered how much longer the pirates would be able to fight back the ghosts before they got the best of them. She turned her head to the right and saw light starting to creep up over the horizon.

"The stars will soon be gone!" Carina worriedly spoke to herself. If they didn't reach land soon, then the stars would disappear for good and the route to the Trident would be lost forever.

But then, up in the distance, she saw something. Something that caused her to smile and gave her hope.

_Land._

Carina was overjoyed at that moment. She had found it. At long last, she had finally found the island that Galileo spoke of. The one her father had died searching for. The one she had been searching for her entire life.

"I've done it, father," Carina spoke to herself, tears of joy coming down her face. She had finished what he had started.

Meanwhile, Henry had just parried another strike from one of the Spanish, and quickly turned and ran away from him. He leapt over a few of the bodies of dead bodies and made his way over to the capstan.

"Carina!" Henry called up to her, and Carina looked down at Henry, her exhilaration ever present in her demeanor.

"Henry! Look!" Carina spoke joyfully, "The island is there!"

Henry turned his head around and saw the faint outline of the island in the distance. His eyes widened in surprise, and he too became overjoyed.

"You found it!" Henry spoke, beaming up at Carina. The Trident of Poseidon was now within their grasp.

But at that moment, something happened.

Something _monstrous_ had occurred.

At first, no one paid any mind to it. They were preoccupied with the battle between themselves that they paid no mind to their surroundings. They thought it was just the raging ocean.

But the sound picked up in intensity.

It sounded less like the waves, and more like the roar of a beast.

A gigantic, fearsome beast.

The sound then became so loud and disorienting that all combatants, pirate and ghost alike, stopped fighting with each other. The ships they were on rocked with such intensity from the vibration of the noise that it was difficult to maintain balance. Even Salazar, in his bloodlust, stopped fighting for a moment as the shaking engulfed them.

And then, towards the banks of the island, that's when they all saw it.

A tremendous splash from the ocean ensued, and out of it rose a massive, green, reptilian-like head with several rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

And three more of them rose along with the first, all identical in shape, size, and color. Soon its body emerged and sat floating in the water near the island.

The beast let out a deafening roar, which shook the very foundations of the ships on the water. All ships, British, pirate, and cursed alike, stopped fighting and took hold of the monster that had made its presence known to all of them, striking fear in their very beings.

_"HYDRA!"_ Henry shouted out, recognizing the beast from the drawing inside Galileo's diary.

One of the British ships had sailed too close to the beast, and the Hydra's heads gathered close together and lowered themselves level with the ship. All at once, the heads collectively shot out streams of fire from their mouths, engulfing the ship in flames instantaneously.

_"Dios mio!"_ Salazar spoke as he saw the mythical beast with his own eyes. The Hydra roared again, and now everyone was deathly terrified.

They were all dead.

Henry knew that they had to do something. If it wasn't the ghosts that killed them, it would be the Hydra. It was directly between them and the Trident.

At that moment, he saw his father staring at the Hydra, witnessing the destruction it caused, and that's when he got an idea.

"Father!" Henry called out, and Will turned around to face his son.

"This is enough, Henry!" Will spoke, "I'm taking you out of here right now!"

"No, no! Wait! I have a plan to beat it!" Henry explained.

"How in the world do we stand a chance against that thing!?" Will gestured to the beast.

"Because you're the captain of the _Flying Dutchman!"_ Henry said, "You're immortal, and your ship is unsinkable!"

"And?" Will asked, not following Henry's line of thinking.

"You can distract the Hydra long enough while we get the Trident, and with it we can kill the beast!" Henry elaborated.

"No," Will said, "I'm not leaving your side. Not with Salazar still aboard."

"If you don't distract it, then we'll all die!" Henry shouted, "If you want to protect me, this is the only way!"

Will wanted to protest yet again, but he could not deny the logic of Henry's plan.

"I'll be fine! Just go! Now!" Henry told him, and reluctantly Will raised his voice and ordered, "SAILORS! BACK TO THE _DUTCHMAN!"_

All at once, Bootstrap Bill and the rest of the _Dutchman's_ crew turned their attention towards Will, and Bootstrap himself said, "You heard the Captain! Move it!"

The cursed crew made their way off the _Pearl_ and clamored over back to the deck of the _Dutchman,_ whereupon Will took the wheel from the designated pilot and sailed out from behind the _Silent Mary._ They came up around the _Queen Anne's Revenge's_ starboard side and started sailing closer to the Hydra.

"Prepare to fire port broadside!" Will bellowed, "Concentrate fire at the necks!"

The _Dutchman_ got in range of the beast, and it roared again at the cursed ship. As it prepared to breathe fire upon them, Will gave the order to fire, and a sudden, swift barrage of cannonballs shot out at the Hydra's leftmost neck, and the force of the barrage had managed to take the head clean off the neck, leaving nothing but a bloody red stump and the creature howling in pain.

The crew of the _Dutchman_ gave a cheer for their momentary victory, but a moment was as long as it lasted. In an instant, the severed neck of the Hydra looked to be reshaping itself, and within mere moments two more heads had grown out of the spot where the previous head had been, and the beast had more heads than when it first emerged.

"Not good," Will's voiced cracked, and the Hydra quickly started to drag itself through the water in an attempt to strike at the _Dutchman._ Will quickly turned the wheel hard to starboard and narrowly avoided the fiery blast of the five heads.

"Hold them off!" Will shouted, and he bit down on his lip, hoping that Henry's hunch was right.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise now. Back on the deck of the _Pearl,_ the crews were broken off of their entrancement and resumed fighting each other. Salazar continued to press into Jack with great ferocity, using both of his swords to his advantage as he continuously wore Jack out.

_"Why won't you just die!?"_ Salazar bellowed, his form becoming less refined and more savage by the moment. Jack was evading and blocking with all his strength, but that burst of energy he had before faded. Jack managed to dodge one of Salazar's strikes and moved in behind where he was, hoping to gain an advantage. Salazar was able to disarm him and knocked him back down on the deck again. Jack backed up in fear, and watched as Salazar discarded the bloody cutlass and raised his rapier. He stood above Jack, poised for the kill.

Jack looked up in fear as Salazar prepared to end his life, but then he looked in front of him and saw the outline of the island just up ahead. He had not noticed it for the Hydra had pulled his attention, and the daylight had illuminated the atmosphere enough that it was now visible.

"The island!" Jack exclaimed. Carina had found it. She had finally found what he had searched for all those years ago, after Bonnet gave him Galileo's diary. What's more, they now had reached land, and they could escape from the ghosts.

Salazar seemed to recognize this as well, for at the exact moment Jack spoke, he craned his neck around to make out the dimly lit formation in the distance. He inhaled sharply as it now registered to him that they were close to meeting the shore, and if he and his men were anywhere close to it then they would all turn to dust.

The pilot of the _Mary_ had taken notice as well, and he began veering off the Spanish galleon hard to starboard. The _Queen Anne's Revenge_ veered off as well to stop from the ghost ship colliding with their own.

"GET TO THE _MARY!"_ Lesaro shouted, and the ghosts began to break off fighting and clambered back onto the side of the _Mary._

Salazar turned his neck back around and rushed past Jack, completely ignoring his target and bolting towards the stern of the ship.

Jack's eyed widened in horror as he saw Salazar rushing for the helm, where Carina was still at the wheel.

"NO!" Jack shouted, trying to get up off the deck as best he could. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

Salazar had leapt up onto the quarter deck next to Carina, and Carina jumped in fear and screamed at the sight of Salazar.

"Boo!" Salazar said, and almost in an instant Carina pulled out the pistol that Jack had given her, thumbed back one of the hammers, and pulled the trigger, firing off a shot and sending Salazar back a couple of feet into the starboard rail. When he'd regained his balance, Salazar said, "That wasn't very nice, _chica."_

Carina's breath picked up in terror, and her hand began to shake from the recoil of firing the pistol. She tried to thumb back the other hammer, but Salazar walked forward and smacked the gun out of her hand before she could fire off another shot.

Salazar then tried to seize the wheel from Carina, determined to steer the _Pearl_ away from land and back out into open water. Carina struggled to maintain her hold on the wheel to prevent him from doing so.

"Let go, you bastard!" Carina shouted at the ghost, but Salazar's grip on the wheel was firm and there was no chance of him letting go. His temper rising, Salazar raised his sword and prepared to strike at her.

"Carina!" Henry's voice called out, and both Carina and Salazar looked to see Henry rushing up the starboard stairway with his sword brandished. Salazar directed his attention to the young Turner, and both were prepared to strike at each other. However, at the same moment they did, the _Pearl_ suddenly made contact with the shores of the island, crashing against the surface hard.

The force of the crash sent all hands aboard, men and ghost alike, falling onto the _Pearl's_ deck. Carina still kept her grip on the wheel despite the motion jerking her forward, but Salazar and Henry were forced into the rail directly in front of them. The _Pearl_ kept driving further onto land, while the _Mary_ was continuing to veer away hard to port so they wouldn't make contact with the land. Salazar looked out in front of him and watched in horror as he saw several of his men still aboard crumble to dust before his very eyes.

" _No,"_ Salazar wheezed. They didn't deserve that fate. And there was no way he was going to go out that way either. Not before he had gotten his vengeance.

Acting quickly, Salazar wrapped his arm around Henry's neck, and he heard the boy struggle. Holding onto him tight, Salazar leapt off the starboard side of the _Pearl_ and managed to grab one of the aft turrets at the last possible moment. He had his arm around Henry's throat, and the boy called out "CARINA!"

"HENRY!" Carina reached out with her arm, but it was in vain. The _Silent Mary_ was now sailing away from the _Pearl,_ and Henry was now their prisoner.

The _Pearl_ came to a halt, having been run aground but without any substantial damage to the hull. Despite the sounds of the raging battle in the distance, they were safe... for now.

Jack had properly gotten up from the deck and rushed his way over to Carina, who had stepped away from the wheel and was now looking out towards the _Mary_ as it sailed away with the young Turner. The screeches of the undead seagulls were ever present, and the sun had just about risen over the horizon.

"Carina, are you alright?" Jack asked, walking up to the quarter deck where Carina was, but she merely responded with, "He took Henry!"

Jack gulped at the mention of that. Salazar had Henry. This was not good. Who knows what plans the Spaniard had for him? Will was not going to be pleased with this.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way to save him. I promise," Jack told her, and he meant it. He wanted Henry safe just as much as she did.

"The Trident be all that can save him now," Barbossa called out, limping up towards the both of them.

"Then we have to find it!" Carina worriedly spoke. Jack placed his hands on her shoulders, and he said, "And we will."

Carina stood in silence for a moment, and then she nodded. Moving away from Jack, she made her way down to the bow to get a closer look of the island beyond. Jack followed closely behind her.

When they arrived at the bow, they looked over to see the island was blackened and barren, probably a volcanic landmass. There were no discernable features in sight.

"This has to be it," Carina said, pulling out Galileo's diary, "It has to be here."

She was flipping through the pages, trying to find some detail that she might have missed, or something she overlooked.

At the same time, Jack was looking out over the bow, and he noticed something. The sun was slowly rising up over the rocky hills of the island, and it was illuminating the ground.

"Carina, look!" Jack tapped her arm, and Carina looked up from her book to see what Jack was talking about.

The sunlight was shining down on the ground, revealing something rather odd and beautiful at the same time. Rocks of all different colors and varieties, glittering all around the blackened surface, and steam along the surface. Their shine was unmistakable, and all the crew gathered on the starboard side to look at the remarkable sight now before them. It was something quite unlike what most of them had ever seen in their entire lives.

It looked like someone had taken the night sky, and put it on the ground.

"Look at it, Jack," Carina spoke, transfixed by the amazing sight before her, "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?"

Jack looked away from the island and looked towards Carina, whose brilliant blue eyes were continuing to gaze in wonder at what they had found.

"Yes," Jack quietly spoke, continuing to gaze at his daughter. He never would have ever believed that he would see anything as beautiful as her. Apart from her mother, of course.

"These aren't just rocks," Carina spoke, "They're stars. This island is a map of the heavens!"

"Do you suppose Galileo made this," Jack began, "or Poseidon?"

"I don't know," Carina spoke honestly. The past few days have taught her a valuable lesson about keeping her mind open, "It could've even been Asteria."

Carina looked out in front of her, and she saw four bright-red stars glowing prominently on the surface. They looked to be on raised positions compared to the other stars on the ground.

"Wait a minute..." Carina closed the diary in her hands and looked at the cover, seeing the constellation of the Trident had five stars. These red ones must've made up the constellation, but there were only four of them.

"One star is missing," Carina spoke again, "Where is it?"

"Use this," Jack said, and Carina looked over to Jack to see that he was holding his compass out towards her. Carina looked at the compass oddly, than up at Jack. This was the same one that he had given her back in St. Martin, the one he had traded in and it started spinning out of control. And now he'd gotten it back somehow.

"This compass is special," Jack explained, "It doesn't point North, but it points you towards what you want most in this world. Take it."

Carina didn't know what to say. She wanted to doubt Jack's judgement, but she had come to trust him so much in the past few days that she couldn't refuse. After putting away Galileo's diary, Carina reached out and took the compass from Jack's palm. She slowly opened the lid, and saw it pointing northeast. She turned herself so that the needle was pointing North, but based on her sense of direction she knew it was actually pointing East from where she was standing. If the compass wasn't broken, then it was pointing her of the direction of where the missing star was. Carina looked up and saw where it was pointing towards, and supposed that's where they needed to go.

"We need to hurry," Carina said, walking back down from the bow towards the middle of the ship, "We have to get to the Trident to save Henry."

Jack was following close behind, and before he climbed down off the ship, he stopped by next to Gibbs and said, "Mister Gibbs, heave-to and make the ship ready for a speedy departure."

"Aye, Captain," Gibbs replied firmly, "Think you'll find what you're looking for down there?"

Jack exhaled, "I'm not so sure anymore, Joshamee."

"Well, whatever happens," Gibbs began, raising his fist, "Take what ya can."

Jack smiled, and then replied, "Give nothing back."

The two men bumped their fists together, and exchanged a brief chuckle.

"Good luck, Jack," Gibbs said.

"You as well," Jack said, and he walked away from his loyal first-mate. He stopped for a moment to check his inventory, and saw that he still had his sword and it was in good condition. He checked his remaining pistol and saw that it was empty, and then reached to see if he had any more shot.

He only had one ball left, and the gun he had was the same one that Barbossa had given him all those years ago to kill himself with.

Wasn't that just poetic?

After reloading, Jack followed Carina down off the ship, and Barbossa climbed down with them. After the three set foot onto the island, Carina opened the compass again, and began taking off where it was telling her to go. Jack and Barbossa followed behind her, the latter of which struggled to maintain his balance on the uneven terrain. They walked through the stars, observing the pristine shine of the rocks upon the ground as they neared their destination.

After several minutes of traversing the island, they came across what they sought. There was a raised, rocky pedestal with a blood-red crystalline piece atop, but unlike the rest of the stars on the island, it was a muted color.

Carina closed the compass and put it at her belt, and Jack and Barbossa stood on either side of her as she observed the pedestal.

"Why isn't it glowing?" Carina asked aloud, but neither pirate responded. She continued to observe the blood-red structure, and then she noticed there was a visible indent. Almost like there was a missing piece.

That's when she remembered the riddle that Galileo left.

" _To carry out their will and fulfill the goal,"_ Carina began reciting the verse, _"Restore the piece that was part of the whole."_

Carina reached into her pocket and pulled out the ruby that had adorned the diary. It was of the same color as the structure before her, and it looked like that it would fit.

Jack recognized the ruby immediately, and he knew that this was the same one he had first laid eyes on all those years ago.

"Of course!" Carina exclaimed, realizing that she held in her hands the last piece of the puzzle, "This must be the piece that Galileo talked about!"

"I'm curious," Barbossa began, "Why did Galileo take the piece from here in the first place?"

Both Jack and Carina were clueless to that knowledge. Not once in his writings did Galileo specify why he had taken the ruby from the island, nor why he left it for others to find.

"I suppose we'll find out, won't we?" Carina replied, looking down at the ruby in her hand. She had reached the end. Poseidon's Trident was within her grasp.

"Go on, Carina," Jack encouraged her, "Finish it."

Carina held the ruby up and gazed upon it one last time.

"This is for you, father," Carina spoke proudly. Jack found it hard to contain himself in that moment.

"Aye," Jack spoke in a low voice, "Do it for him."

Carina took a deep breath, and placed the ruby inside the slot.

Immediately, the blood-red crystalline structure began to glow, and there was an audible humming sound beneath. A beam of bright red light shot out, and Carina, Jack, and Barbossa saw it meet up with the glowing-red star nearest to them, and that glowed brighter as well. Afterwards, three separate beams of light came out of the star, and reflected back on the three remaining stars, forming the constellation of the Trident.

Soon after, the ground beneath them began to rumble, and they turned around and looked out towards the sea. There were still plenty of ships still fighting each other, and the Hydra was off fighting the Dutchman where they couldn't see, but that wasn't what mattered right now. They saw white foam out in the sea directly behind them, and saw that it was foaming up from the shoreline all the way out beyond the view of the naked eye, and looked to be contained within a straight line.

"What's happening?" Carina asked, and they all saw the ocean was starting to divide where it had foamed up. The water looked to be pulling itself back, opening up a deep, dark trench. The force of the water's separation dislodged the _Pearl_ after it was stuck along the shoreline and it fell back onto the water. Meanwhile, Jack, Carina, and Barbossa saw the sea continuing to part itself, starting from out in the open water and working its way to shore. The shaking of the island became more and more intense, and the ground started to crack away. Suddenly the ground directly in front of them started cracking all over, and the ground eventually gave way, causing Jack and Carina to fall suddenly, and the both of them started screaming. Barbossa almost fell in himself, but he was able to back away at the last second.

"JACK!" Barbossa outstretched his arm, but it was too late. Jack and Carina began plunging into the dark abyss.


	21. Not All Treasure Is Silver & Gold

Jack and Carina were still screaming as they fell down into the newly-formed abyss. The initial drop did not last long, for in a moment's notice they landed down hard against a relatively smooth incline and the both of them started rolling down together, eliciting grunts of pain and screams of terror. Neither of them could get a good look at where they were going, but from the stones they felt toppling over them as they slid to the brittle coral reefs their bodies crashed into, they were heading downward into the bottom of the trench.

Although Jack was fearing for his own life in this moment, he feared for Carina's as well. He couldn't bear to see her hurt even if they would survive this fall. But more than that, neither of them truly knew what awaited them once they reached the bottom.

After a few more moments of tumbling down the slope, Jack and Carina landed face first onto the damp, black sand at the bottom. Both of them grunted in pain once again when they made contact with the ground.

"Ugh," Jack winced, placing his arms in front of him and slowly lifting his head off the ground. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to reorient himself after the hefty fall he had endured. He felt aches all over his body, but it didn't feel like anything too serious.

Opening his eyes, Jack turned to his right to see Carina was lying down on the ground, her long dark hair obscuring her face from view. In an instant, Jack panicked, because he didn't know whether or not his daughter was okay.

"Carina!" Jack spoke, getting up on his knees and shaking her shoulder. When he did, he heard her give off weak-sounding complaint, and she started to pick herself off the ground.

"Ow," Carina said, spitting away some of the black sand from her lips before wiping the rest off with her right sleeve, "That hurt."

"Carina, are you alright?" Jack worriedly asked her.

"I'm fine, Jack," Carina responded, trying to get up off the ground. Jack immediately stood up and helped slowly pull her to her feet.

"Are you sure? Nothing broken?" Jack asked Carina again once she was standing and facing him. He had to be sure. She had to be okay.

"A few bruises, maybe, but I'm good," Carina replied in a strained voice, rubbing her right arm gingerly.

Jack heaved a sigh of relief knowing that she was okay for now.

They both turned away from each other out towards where the slope downward was leading them to, and when they saw just what both of their jaws dropped in pure awe.

In their immediate vicinity, they saw that there were a number of coral reefs surrounding them, some high and others low. The ground beneath them was black, wet sand and had an unusual luster to it. Looking up ahead of them, they saw the torn masts of fallen ships laid up against the rocky formations around them. Strangest of all, the ocean had stopped dividing, and now the trench was wide enough that two ships could fit into it travelling side-by-side. They looked upward to see daylight just up above the point where the ocean split, now separated into two massive "walls" of water that seemed to stretch for miles and miles without end.

They were standing at the bottom of the sea.

Carina was completely mesmerized by what she was seeing. Her mind is telling her that she's gone mad, but here she is standing on the dry ocean floor, watching as the water between them seemed to be held back by some invisible force. The sounds of the battle above were drowned out by the sounds of the rushing ocean water making a sort of "buffer" between the bottom and the top. Stray droplets fell from both sides, but otherwise the water remained parted. It was positively the most insane thing Carina had ever seen, which was saying something considering all that she had seen in this week alone.

"Unbelievable," she muttered. This was everything beyond even her wildest dreams.

Jack, having been accustomed to the supernatural after all these years, was nevertheless stunned himself after observing his surroundings. Galileo hadn't been exaggerating when he described the power of Poseidon's Trident after all.

"This is just like in the Bible," Jack began, "when God parted the Red Sea and helped Moses and the Israelites to cross."

A thought occurred to Carina, and she asked, "You don't think the two stories are somehow connected, do you?"

"At this point, I find it best not to dwell on matters like that," Jack answered her.

Carina started walking forward, attempting to reach a clear-enough section where she could see the water meeting the sand on the bottom. When she got close, she felt the spray of water droplets kiss her face, and once more Carina was in awe of what she saw. This _completely_ defied the laws of physics.

Jack looked down on the ground where Carina had been standing a moment before, and noticed that Galileo's diary had managed to fall off of her person. His eyes widened in momentary concern, and then he quickly snatched the book up and held it in his hand. He was about to call out to Carina so she could take the book back, but Jack then noticed her attention was still fixed on the liquid wall.

Carina extended her left arm outwards and stuck her fingers into the water, watching the water ripple from her touch as if it were normal. Even then, the wall remained intact and unwavering.

"Truly unbelievable," Carina spoke again, her heart beating from the excitement of something as strange and wonderful as this. If only her father could be here to see it with her, she thought.

Jack placed the book inside his waistcoat for the time being; he needn't concern Carina with it for now. He walked over closer to where she was standing and saw her looking in awe as her hand harmlessly touched through the inverted water. He smiled as she looked to be enjoying herself for the moment.

Jack looked away from Carina out to the ocean just beyond the wall of water, noting the other coral reefs that looked just the same as over where he was now. He saw schools of fish of many varieties swimming through the nearby area, seemingly unaffected by the supernatural occurrence in their otherwise natural habitat. In another moment however, he saw all the fish begin to scurry away from the area, and Jack was puzzled as to why. Just then, he heard a faint, echoing sound, and he turned his head to his left to see a giant creature swimming in their direction.

"WHALE!" Jack exclaimed at the same moment that a ginormous humpback whale came into view, its right pectoral fin suddenly jutting out through the water barrier. Acting quickly, Jack seized Carina by her shoulders and he brought the both of them down to the ground just as the fin passed over where their heads had been, soaking the both of them with water.

Standing back up, Jack and Carina saw the fin recede back into the water completely, and then the humpback turned left and swam out to the open ocean.

"That was a close one!" Carina exclaimed, watching as the magnificent creature started shrinking into the distance.

"You don't see that every day," Jack noted, and the pair of them backed away from the edge of the barrier towards the center of the clearing.

"We have to hurry," Carina said, remembering that they still had to find the Trident, "This way."

Jack and Carina both started to walk down the newly-formed pathway, hoping to reach the Trident in time. Salazar had Henry, and who knew what nefarious plans the Spaniard had for the young Turner?

* * *

The _Silent Mary_ was sitting in the middle of the ocean, battered more than it had ever been following the incursion with the pirates. Though the battle itself between the pirate fleet and the Royal Navy was still raging, the _Mary_ had distanced itself from the fighting and was now resting idly by for the moment.

Henry had been brought to the quarter deck. His arms were being held back by two of Salazar's men, their grips firm and unrelenting on the boy.

"Let go of me!" Henry shouted, trying to wriggle his way loose from the ghosts to no avail. The other crewmembers of the _Mary_ laughed as they watched him struggle.

_"Basta!"_ Salazar ordered, limping forward from the crowd of Spaniards closer to Henry. In an instant, his men had stopped laughing and were eerily silent. Salazar himself got close enough that he was now face to face with Henry. The sound of his wheezing made Henry flinch a little, and he did his best to keep his eyes on Salazar as to not give the impression that he was afraid of him. Which he was.

"I gave you one simple task, boy," Salazar spoke coldly, but his tone of voice seemed to sound more disappointed than angry, "One... _very..._ _simple..._ task. Bring me Jack Sparrow. I saved your life, and this is how you thank me?"

"You're a murderer!" Henry nearly screamed in Salazar's face, "You killed all those men on the _Monarch!_ Good men!"

"And so were my crew," Salazar spat angrily, getting some of the blood dripping from his mouth onto Henry's shirt, "Good men devoted to their country and to ridding the world of piracy. Now, half of them are dead, and the other half are still condemned to a horrible fate that _no man_ deserves."

"None of that is my fault!" Henry argued, but Salazar became enraged and backhanded Henry's cheek, forcing his head back slightly. In another instant, Salazar grabbed Henry's chin and pulled his face closer to his own. They were close enough now that their foreheads were almost touching.

_"You aided Sparrow! You helped him escape me! You're the reason my men are dead!"_ Salazar screamed at the top of his lungs. He then released his grasp from Henry's face rather roughly, and then spoke again in a lower tone, saying, "And now, you will be punished for your crimes."

"If you mean to kill me, get on with it then," Henry said, trying his best to stand tall in the face of adversity, "I'm not afraid to die."

But Salazar merely chuckled at the boy's act of defiance, much to Henry's confusion.

"Oh no, Henry," Salazar spoke, his cracked lips forming a devious smile, "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself."

As Salazar finished his statement, Lesaro looked extremely anxious, whereupon he spoke up, saying, " _Capitan!_ Don't do it!"

Salazar turned his head towards his loyal second-in-command. Even after all these years, his loyalty towards his captain had not wavered once, and Salazar knew this. But he knew what was at stake, and he knew the risks involved.

"There's no choice to be made, _Teniente,"_ Salazar replied plainly, "Sparrow is on land going for the Trident."

" _Capitan,_ I implore you, think about this!" Lesaro begged, "You remember when Ernesto did it, he wasn't able to escape. Once you possess the living, there is no coming back. You will be trapped in his body forever!"

_"What!?"_ Henry asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"If Sparrow gets his hands on that Trident, he could kill us all," Salazar continued, "It's a risk I am willing to take."

" _Capitan,_ there must be another way!" Lesaro was practically groveling at this point, "Please, let me do it instead-"

"NO!" Salazar barked, causing Lesaro to flinch a little, "No, I... this is something that I must do myself. I can't allow any of you to take that risk."

Salazar looks away from Lesaro and quickly turns to look at the faces of his crew.

"If there is any hope of our curse being lifted, I can't have any more of you waste your chance senselessly. We lost many good men tonight, but trust me when I say that I will avenge them just as I will avenge you," Salazar let out a heavy sigh, "If this Trident is as powerful as the legends say, then there's a chance I can free myself. If not... it has been the greatest honor to serve with you men. Each and every one of you."

All of the Spanish on the deck looked solemnly at their captain, a man they had followed in both life and death. They couldn't imagine possibly going on without him, but nonetheless were touched by what he was willing to do for their salvation.

Salazar turned his attention back towards Henry, who was now struggling extra hard to break free of the ghosts' grips on his arms. His breathing had picked up immensely as Salazar limped towards him, seeing the expose cavity in the left side of his head plain as day.

"You monster!" Henry shouted, "You can't do this!"

"It may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair, Henry," Salazar spoke, sheathing his rapier in his scabbard. Slowly, he raised his right hand upward.

_Father, where are you? Please, please, please help me._

"You don't know anything about pain, do you Henry?" Salazar asked softly, his hand slowly moving closer to his face, "Don't worry, you'll learn soon enough. You'll learn all about my pain."

"No! Don't-"

Salazar wrapped his hand along the side of Henry's head, and then pressed his thumb directly on his forehead.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Henry screamed in pain, having never felt such an intense sensation in all his life. It felt like someone was pressing a white-hot iron to his skull, and his brain felt like it was already on fire. This same burning sensation soon shot through every one of his nerves throughout his body, and he started to shake violently. Soon, the burning sensation was quickly replaced by an icy, cold numbness that started in his stomach, then spread to his limbs, and then up to his mind. At that moment, he felt himself drifting off, the pain being too much to endure...

* * *

_He was falling._

_Henry didn't know where he was or why he was falling, but he was falling._

_He was surrounded by dark storm clouds, and he could hear the thunder not too far away. In an instant, his eyes snapped open, and he saw the ocean beneath him. Quickly, he braced himself, and he fell into the water beneath him. The force at which he was falling propelled him far underwater. When his propulsion had stopped, he attempted to swim upwards for air. But after several seconds, it felt like he wasn't getting anywhere closer to the surface. His lungs screamed for air, but he couldn't get himself above water._

_Suddenly, he felt a vibration surging throughout the water. Henry's legs had impacted a wooden surface. He was rising up through the water, and once he broke through the barrier, he was gasping for air. Once he caught his breath, he looked around him. He was on the deck of the Flying Dutchman, which looked to be abandoned._

_He looked over towards the stern to see a silhouetted figure standing behind the seaweed-covered masts._

_Henry was about to call out to the figure when he heard a young voice say, "Father?"_

_Henry turned to his left to see that there was a boy suddenly standing next to him, facing in the direction of the silhouette._

_It was him. It was Henry when he was a child, when he tried to find his father. What was going on here?_

_Henry turned his head back towards the silhouette, only to see that he had disappeared, replaced instead with a monstrous-looking crew composed of elements of the sea working on the deck, manning the lines and the sails during a raging rainstorm._

_"Secure the mast tackle, Mr. Turner!" one of the crew members shouted, and though he didn't understand why, Henry quickly got up and started to head over to where the mast tackle was. He saw several lines of rope covered in seaweed trying to lift a cannon, and made a rush to tie it down as per his orders. However, the moment he grabbed onto the rope, another pair of hands did as well._

_"Step aside!" the man said, and Henry looked up to see who had spoken to him, and he gasped in shock at who he saw._

_It was his father, Will Turner. But he was not covered in crustaceans, nor did he appear as old as he did as Henry remembered him to be. He was a young man, around about Henry's age._

_How was he seeing all this?_

_Will had let go of the rope, and Henry, still gripping onto it tightly, went flying as the weight of the cannon dropped. He felt himself propelled through the air, and suddenly the storm increased in intensity. He fell onto the deck again and rolled into the port rail of the ship. Standing himself up, he saw something that was impossible for him to imagine._

_He saw his father, young as he was a moment ago, lying on his back against the starboard rail. He then saw his mother, young as well, laying against the small stairway near his father. Standing over his father was a monstrous, octopus-like figure wielding a sword. And next to Henry stood Jack Sparrow, far younger than he was now, holding a broken sword in one hand and a beating heart in the other._

_It was then that Henry realized that these were too vivid to be his imagination. These were memories. But they weren't his own. Why was he seeing the memories of things he had never seen?_

_"Heady tonic, holding life in death in the palm of one's hand," Jack mocked the monster with a cocky grin on his face._

_"You're a cruel man, Jack Sparrow," the monster retorted in a thick, Scottish accent, and Henry realized this must be Davy Jones._

_"Cruel is a matter of perspective," Jack responded right back._

_"Is it?" Jones spoke, and in an instant, he turned around and pierced Will through his heart._

_Will let out a moan of pain. Elizabeth gasped in horror. Jack's cocky demeanor quickly fell as he watched his friend being stabbed._

_"AGH!" Henry winced and clutched at his chest, feeling an agonizing pain within his heart. He didn't understand; he wasn't the one who was stabbed, his father was._

_He looked up towards his father, and saw that Jones was twisting the sword inside his chest. He then looked over to Jack, who was still standing there shocked while he held the still-beating heart of Jones in his hand._

_He had just stood there. He did nothing while Jones murdered his father. Why didn't he do anything to stop him?_

_"No... stop it!" Henry called out loud. What had Salazar done to him? He started to back up, the pain in his chest increasing by the second, until he eventually stumbled backward off the Dutchman's port rail and fell into the raging maelstrom below._

_Henry expected to impact the water, but instead he found himself rolling onto a checkered, marble floor. Quickly, he got up and looked around him. This wasn't a ship. It looked like a manor of some kind. There were fine assortments of furniture, potted plants, and painting adorning what looked to be a parlor, and a pair of glass doors opened out onto a balcony overlooking the sea. There was a golden sun beginning to set over the horizon._

_Henry felt something brush past him, and he saw two young boys rushing past him, both of them holding wooden toy swords. He didn't recognize either of them, but at the same time something in the back of his mind said that he knew them. They stopped running when they reached the balcony, and began to swing the wooden swords playfully at each other, laughing while they did so._

_"Prepare to die, pirate!" the brown-haired boy of the two joked, while the blond-haired one said, "Avast ye scurvy braggart!"_

_A woman's laughter sounded from behind Henry, and he turned around to see a rather beautiful looking woman walking towards them._

_"I hope you boys haven't been having too much fun," the woman said in a Spanish accent._

_"We were just trying to be like papa," the brown-haired boy spoke._

_"Si, we want to help him when we grow up," the blond-haired boy spoke up._

_"And I have no doubt that you will one day," a voice called out from around the corner, and Henry's eyes widened in absolute horror as he recognized the voice. He turned his head again, and he saw him._

_Salazar emerged from the corner, but he didn't look like the ghost he was now. He looked very much alive, wearing his clean white uniform, his hair tied back in a neat ponytail, his posture upright, and a genuine smile on his face._

_"No," Henry stammered, "It- it can't be..."_

_"How are my wonderful boys, mi amor?" Salazar asked the woman._

_"Trying to be like you, Armando," the woman replied with a smile, and Salazar leaned in and kissed her._

_Henry's breath picked up, and he started backing up in terror. He watched as Salazar and his wife walked out onto the balcony, and the both of them picked up one of their sons and held them in their arms. Salazar himself looked to be laughing in pure happiness surrounded by his family._

_"No... please!" Henry called out, hoping that the real Salazar could hear him, "Stop it!"_

_Henry saw the image of Salazar and his family becoming blurry, and darkness surrounded them._

_The ground gave out from under Henry, and he started falling again into a black abyss. He started his fall screaming, but the noise drowned out, and he knew no more._

* * *

Henry fell down upon the deck of the _Mary,_ the ghosts holding his arms having released him. All of the Spanish soldiers had gathered around and watched as the boy started to pick himself up. Salazar was nowhere in sight.

Lesaro got down on one knee, placed a hand on Henry's right shoulder, and asked, _"Capitan?"_

With Lesaro's assistance, Henry got onto his knees, and he was still holding his head down.

_"Capitan?"_ Lesaro asked again, and in that moment Henry's head lifted, revealing that several cracks had formed around his eyes. His mouth then became a wicked grin as he looked Lesaro in the eyes.

_"Time to kill a Sparrow,"_ Salazar answered, his voice a haunting blend of Henry's and his own. He now had control over the boy's body.

* * *

Jack and Carina had been walking through the trench for quite some time, navigating their way through the coral and the rocky formations that lay in their path. Carina was doing all she could to commit everything she was seeing to memory, not that she was likely to forget anything like this anytime soon. If only the university heads that rejected her for all these years could be here right now to see that she had made the discovery of the millennium.

Jack was observing his surroundings more solemnly. He had finally discovered what he had set out to find decades ago to find, but realizing what his actions had cost him pushed any thoughts of success or satisfaction far from his mind. Especially since there was a constant reminder of his past walking alongside him right now.

_Well Bonnet, I kept my bloody promise to you._

The pair of them looped around a rather large reef, and they stopped in place when they saw a most magnificent sight. There were multiple broken archways ahead of them, each bearing their own series of decorative prongs. Columns of different sizes also were present. At the end of the pathway, there was a gigantic structure that curved unnaturally, and its centerpiece looked like the raging waves.

"Poseidon's tomb," Jack remarked, realizing now what this place was. This was a shrine dedicated to the sea god, and if he was buried here, then that also meant...

"Look, Jack! There it is!" Carina excitedly spoke up, pointing towards the center of the shrine. Jack looked ahead more closely, and he saw what looked like a massive stone coffin up ahead covered in Ancient Greek lettering. And up on top of the coffin, it was there, ensnared in wooden vines that seemed to have grown out of it and around the nearby archway.

_The Trident of Poseidon._

It was a large, wooden object with an asymmetrical structure. Just like the constellation that lead them here, the one prong was jutting out longer than the others, which were not only shorter but also grouped closer together to each other than they were the longer prong. The Trident itself had an unnatural green glow shimmering from the cracks in the bark, which ran all the way from the tips of the prongs to the end of the handle. In addition, at the point where the prongs met with the weapon's handle, there was a large orange crystal glowing in the center, and a humming noise seemed to be emitting from it.

Carina never had been happier in her entire life. Her hands covered her mouth in awe, realizing that she had finally done it. After all these years, all the searching, and all the hardships, she had finally found the Trident of Poseidon! It was hers for the taking!

Jack stood there with his mouth agape. There it was, at long last. The legendary Trident of the Greek god of the seas. Filled with unspeakable powers anything beyond his wildest dreams. The very thing he had first sought out decades ago, only to lose hope at ever finding it once he had lost everything. But now, here he was. Standing mere feet away from the greatest discovery in his life, with his daughter by his side.

Jack smiled. For the first time in a very long time, he was genuinely happy.

_"We found it!"_ Carina exclaimed with joy, _"We found the Trident!"_

Jack turned to face Carina and saw the pure excitement on her face. None of this would have been possible if it hadn't been for her. If she hadn't showed up in his life, they wouldn't be here now. If she hadn't shown up, Jack would've gone the rest of his days believing he would never be truly happy again. She had shown him that he still had something worth living for.

_I'm so proud of you, sweetheart._

He wanted so badly to tell her this out loud, but he knew that he never could. Carina would be mortified if she learned that she carried the blood of a pirate, and Jack didn't want to put her through that.

The moment of self-reflection was cut suddenly by the sudden shouting of _"JAAAAAAAAAACK!"_

Both Jack and Carina turned around at the shout, and they saw that Henry was running across the ocean floor towards them.

"Henry!" Carina called out, surprised to see Henry had seemingly been freed from Salazar's clutches, "How did you manage to escape?"

Jack, who was relieved at first to see Henry unharmed, noticed that his running didn't seem to let up as he drew closer to them. He also noticed an angry scowl on his face as he came nearer and nearer. Finally, he saw his hand reach for the hilt of his sword at his belt and began to draw it as he ran up the inclined surface of the reef they had passed moments before.

"He didn't!" Jack voiced cracked in terror.

Henry had his sword drawn and he leapt off the edge of the reef. In a quick moment, Jack pushed Carina's right shoulder and caused her to fall upon the ground, whereupon he drew his own sword and was able to block Henry's aerial attack.

Carina had begun to pick herself off the ground, and she looked over her shoulder to see that Jack was now trying to defend himself from an aggressive Henry. The two exchanged a series of quick blows from each other before Jack was able to knock him back for a few seconds. Afterwards, he looked down at Carina and shouted, "Carina, get to the Trident!"

Carina started to get up, watching as Henry continued to press a series of quick strikes against Jack. What the hell had gotten into him?

"Jack!" Carina called out from the sidelines as Henry and Jack's blades became locked in place. She had to do something.

"GO! NOW!" Jack ordered her, and after a moment of hesitation, Carina took off running towards the Trident. She could still hear Henry and Jack's blades clashing together from behind her, and knew she had to act quickly before anything happened to either of them. Carina knew that this wasn't like Henry at all. Why was he trying to kill Jack?

Carina had reached the coffin, which looked to be much larger than that of an ordinary human. But she couldn't dwell on that right now, not while there were lives at risk. Hastily, she climbed up on top of the coffin where the Trident was, and took hold of the handle and attempted to pull it out of its spot. But no matter how hard she pulled, it was of no avail; the Trident remained firmly in place on top of the coffin.

* * *

Jack had been deflecting more and more blows from Henry's sword, but the boy kept pressing into him, channeling rage into his every attack.

"What's the matter with you!?" Jack shouted at him. Henry reeled his sword back and tried to hack into Jack's left side, but Jack quickly responded and blocked the sword strike. At the same time, however, Henry had pulled his left arm back and punched Jack across the jaw, causing the pirate to stumble for a moment away from the young Turner.

As Jack attempted to regain his stance, he placed his free hand to his jaw to try to nurse the pain, and he looked ahead to see Henry standing there with a devilish grin upon his face, pointing his sword out towards him.

_"Lighten the grip, square the pommel. Remember?"_ Henry spoke, but it was then that Jack realized what was going on here. He recognized the technique he was using, despite having no prior skill with a sword. Past his hair which was now dangling to his shoulders, he saw the unnatural cracks surrounding his eyes that looked all too familiar. He heard a voice that was a combination of Henry's and a dark, sinister cracking one that he would not soon forget.

"Salazar..." Jack uttered, taking his hand off his jaw. He saw now what had happened to Henry. Salazar had taken control of his body.

_"Surprise, Jack,"_ Salazar smiled with Henry's mouth, outstretching his arms like he had already won, _"Happy to see me again?"_

"No," Jack said, readying himself, "You let the boy go, Salazar! We can settle this like men!"

_"I'm afraid that is something I cannot do, Jack,"_ Salazar spoke again, _"The only way that I leave this body is if you kill me."_

"I won't do it!" Jack shouted at him in defiance.

_"Then I suppose the only choice left is for me to kill YOU!"_ Salazar shouted back at the moment he swung forward fast and hard with Henry's sword. Jack evaded the blow at the last second, and he and Salazar continued to fight among the rocks at the bottom of the sea.

While they were fighting, Salazar's men had descended into the ocean, landing on the sandy floors just inside the water barriers. Lesaro and his men drew their swords and got closer to the water wall separating them from the dry area where the living were. They could not step beyond the water or else they would all turn to dust, but if anyone had gotten too close they could easily dispatch with them.

Jack continued to block Salazar's attacks, easily discouraged from going on the offensive because he was using Henry as a weapon against him. He couldn't bring himself to hurt him. This was Will and Elizabeth's son. It was tearing him apart right now at this moment to fight him, nevermind the fact that he might have to kill him.

"Henry!" Jack called out, hoping that the boy could still be reached from within, "I know you're in there somewhere!"

Salazar continued to press into Jack despite the pirate's pleas. Eventually, Jack had to evade a number of quick strikes from Salazar and got backed up into a rocky reef. He turned around to see if there was a route to escape from his current situation, but he saw that Lesaro was standing there, brandishing his own sword with murderous intent in his eye.

Jack turned back around to see Salazar prepared to bring his sword down on top of him. He got out of the way at the last second, and Henry's blade made contact with the rocks instead. Jack got himself into position and raised his sword. Salazar swung his blade directly from the point where he hit the rocks and attempted to behead Jack, who subsequently ducked below before he was killed. Acting quickly, Jack swung his sword upwards in an attempt to knock Salazar off balance, and he heard the sound of blade cutting skin as Salazar stood there for a moment holding Henry's head back to the left.

Salazar slowly began to regain his composure, and he reached his free hand towards Henry's face to feel a thin cut along his right cheek. It stung only a little, but to Salazar that meant so much. He hadn't been able to feel proper pain in decades.

He looked over towards Jack, who looked mortified over what he had done. Salazar grinned, knowing he could use this to torture him even further.

_"You cut me, you cut the boy, Jack,"_ Salazar spoke menacingly, and right after he resumed pressing into Jack, using every skill he knew to try to beat his sworn enemy.

Carina was still trying to pry the Trident out of the coffin, but it just wouldn't move. Worriedly, she looked over to see Jack and Henry still fighting each other, and she saw that Jack was getting more worn out by the second. She knew she had to do something and fast.

"Henry!" Jack called out again when the fighting had broken for a moment, "If you can hear me, fight back!"

Salazar swung towards Jack's legs, and Jack jumped to avoid it. He looked up and saw Salazar's wrath behind Henry's eyes.

"He doesn't control you, Henry!" Jack shouted, "No one does! _You_ get to decide who you want to be, Henry! It's not up to me, it's not up to Salazar, it's not up to your father, it's who _you_ want to be!"

Salazar kept on fighting, using the boy's youthful body to his advantage as he continued assaulting the aged pirate. Jack and Salazar swung at the same time and their blades locked together.

"Do you know why?" Jack asked, "Because you're Henry Turner! You're free! Now fight back!"

_"He can't hear you, idiota!"_ Salazar shouted, breaking the hold between the two. Salazar attempted to deal another heavy blow, but by some amazing stroke of luck, Jack had managed to disarm him and his sword went flying from his grasp.

Salazar scowled at him, but he backed up a couple of steps while Jack had his sword at the ready. Kneeling down slightly, Salazar reached into Henry's right boot and drew his knife from the sheath, holding the blade downward as he brought it back up. He didn't even hesitate before he started to swing the knife at Jack, who backed up when he saw Salazar's blade mere inches from his chest. He did so about two or three more times before Salazar decided to bring his knife down upon Jack's skull. As he began to thrust down using both hands, Jack dropped his sword from his grasp and caught hold of Henry's arms before the knife could cut into him.

"Henry!" Jack begged, holding onto the small hope that Henry could somehow hear him from within. Salazar was using all his strength to press the knife down, but Jack was resilient enough to stop him from killing him. The blade's tip was a mere inch from his eye, and Jack began to panic. He attempted to force Salazar off him, but at that precise moment when he tried to push him off to the side, his blade had come down and managed to cut across the top of Jack's left arm, tearing the sleeve and causing him to bleed.

"Agh!" Jack grunted, placing his right hand upon his newly-acquired wound. He saw that his left sleeve had been torn back as well.

He had no time to lament upon it, because Salazar had raised the knife again and was prepared to strike down on Jack once more. Jack caught Henry's right arm with his left hand, and subsequently caught on the other arm and held it in place.

"Please don't make me do this," Jack begged solemnly, but Salazar was unrelenting. He continued to press down with the knife.

In an instant, Jack kneed Henry's stomach, causing him to nearly double over and lose his grip on the knife. Jack caught onto the blade with his right hand while still holding onto Henry's arm with his left, quickly raised it upward, and stabbed through just below Henry's wrist.

_"AAGH!"_ Salazar hollered, stepping back as Jack pulled the knife out of Henry's arm. Salazar looked down at Henry's right arm where Jack had stabbed him, and he felt an almost unbearable amount of pain when he tried to flex the boy's fingers. The wound would heal, but now Salazar was left without his dominant arm to fight with.

The Spaniard looked up at Jack, who made no move to press him. He merely stood there, still holding onto the bloodied blade in his hand.

_"Why don't you just go ahead and kill me, then?"_ Salazar outstretched his arms, _"Make sure you do it right this time."_

"You can stop all this now," Jack spoke, tossing the knife from his grip onto the ground.

_"I don't want to stop!"_ Salazar shouted, his rage filling him once again, _"Don't you understand!? The only way this ends is if one of us dies!"_

Salazar lunged forward and grabbed Jack by the throat, tackling him to the ground. He held his injured hand around his throat, and reeled back his fist and began straddle punching him in the face. One, two, three times over, again and again, using his blind fury to inflict as much pain as possible on him.

Eventually, Salazar let up, and Jack started to cough heavily, his eyes drooping down. Salazar stood up over Jack, and then turned around and walked over towards where Henry's sword was laying on the ground. He picked it up with his left hand, and started to slowly walk over towards Jack. He had had his fun. It was time for Jack Sparrow to die.

Jack was still having his coughing fit when he saw Salazar approaching him holding his sword. With what little strength he had, he started to crawl backwards as the Spaniard drew closer to him. But he couldn't see any way out of this.

Salazar stopped and looked down over him. His face contorted into a vicious sneer as he raised his sword up.

Jack closed his eyes and prepared for what was to come.

Salazar swung with all his fury down upon the pirate captain, ready to take his revenge at long last.

_CLINK!_

The sound of metal impacting metal rang through the air. Jack opened his eyes and saw that Salazar's blade had been stopped by another blade. Salazar looked down in confusion as his killing stroke had been blocked. The Spaniard turned his head to his left, and he saw that it was Carina that had stopped him from killing Jack.

"Henry!" Carina begged, holding her sword in both hands, doing her best to keep Salazar's blade away from Jack.

Jack's lip began to tremble, and his eyes widened in fear.

_NO! Please God, no! Don't do this!_

Salazar pulled his sword away and took a few steps back, studying Carina with curious intent.

_"Ah,"_ Salazar spoke, _"I had almost forgotten you were here."_

"Get away from him!" Carina ordered, raising her sword up.

_"Very well, chica,"_ Salazar grinned, pointing his sword towards her, _"You die first."_

Salazar swung towards Carina, and she deflected it, backing up away from where Jack was. All she had to do was keep him preoccupied for a few moments, until Jack could get back up again. She just hoped she remembered all of Jack's training.

Salazar lunged forward with his blade, and Carina parried the advance to her right. Salazar fell into the momentum of his strike and spun around, trying to hit Carina' left side. Fortunately, Carina was able to turn her blade back and blocked the incoming blow. Immediately following, Carina raised her right foot and kicked Salazar in the chest, knocking him back a little bit but not enough to make him fall down.

Salazar grunted as he attempted to regain his stance. This girl was youthful and inexperienced, but he couldn't deny that she had some talent. Still, if his dominant arm weren't injured he would've disposed of her already.

Carina swung her sword in a quick circle, obvious was her intent to intimidate the Spaniard. But Salazar was anything but fazed by the girl's attempt to act tough.

"Come on!" Carina shouted at him, her face contorted into an angry scowl. Salazar, however, merely chuckled at her.

_"You really think you can beat me?"_ Salazar asked.

"We'll see," Carina threatened, and without hesitation she charged forward at Salazar with her sword raised. Salazar was quick to raise his blade and block her strike, and then started to press back into her, using a series of rapid strikes against her. Carina ducked under one of Salazar's strikes, then popped back up to repel more of his incoming attacks.

Jack, summoning as much strength as he could, began to crawl over towards his sword. He felt himself drained of all energy, but he knew he had to keep going. Carina was in danger, and if she got hurt Jack could never forgive himself. Salazar was a problem that he created. His daughter should not have to suffer the consequences for what he had done.

Carina and Salazar were still fighting, Salazar being the more aggressive of the two in his fighting technique. He was forcing her back towards some of the rocks, but Carina couldn't do anything about it. Most of what Jack had taught her was defensive in nature, so she had to improvise on the rest.

Salazar tried striking at her legs, but Carina leapt up and landed on top of one of the small boulders surrounding them. Salazar reeled his sword back and tried to strike at her boots again, but Carina then jumped off back onto the sand. A rapid series of quick strikes from the pair of them followed, their blades clinking together with sharp clarity. Salazar had managed to parry one of Carina's strikes towards him, and then used his right hand to backhand her across her face.

"Ugh!" Carina grunted, stumbling backwards from where she and Salazar were dueling. She held up the back of her left hand to the right side of her face in response to the pain, and then looked forward at Salazar again. He was making no move to press her at the moment, as he looked to be gritting his teeth with his attention fixed on Henry's arm. He felt a sharp twinge of pain right where Jack had stabbed him.

Seeing an opportunity, Carina grabbed her sword with two hands and swung forward at Salazar. But the Spaniard's reflexes were too quick, and he leaned back away from the girl's strike. Carina carried on from the momentum of her attack and brought her sword back around her head, swinging it forward to strike down with a heavy blow. However, Salazar was able to dodge her attack again, stepping to the right as her blade cut through nothing but air. Carina stumbled forward from the force of her strike, quickly turning herself back around to keep her eyes on Salazar. He turned his sword in Henry's hand twice, and slowly approached Carina, who was backing up slowly away from him.

Jack had managed to crawl over to where his sword was laying, reached out, and grabbed it by the hilt. He then turned his head towards where Salazar and Carina were, and saw the Spaniard closing in on his daughter with lethal intent.

Carina held a firm grip on her weapon, and Salazar raised his sword up and swung forward. Carina likewise struck as well and halted the attack. Salazar turned his sword low, and Carina blocked that as well. Salazar then spun himself around and threw all of his weight into a downward strike, which Carina raised her sword up in response. Their swords came into contact once more, only this time the pair of them held the blades together. Salazar exerted all of his energy into pushing Carina back, eventually ramming her against the side of one of the reefs.

"Henry!" Carina called, hoping the man she knew could hear her. Their swords grinded together hard.

_"The boy can't hear you, Senorita Smyth,"_ Salazar growled at her, and he noticed the look on her face upon saying her name, _"Oh yes, I know all about you. Everything Henry knows, I know too."_

Carina was still resisting Salazar's blade, gritting her teeth while she did so.

_"He cares for you, you know... in his own way,"_ Salazar gave a wicked grin, and this caught Carina off guard for a moment. Salazar broke the deadlock between them and tried to strike at her, but Carina was able to step away at the last second as his sword struck the reef. Salazar quickly turned around and started to go all out on Carina, using as many quick strikes as he could. After a few moments, he was able to nick Carina on her right arm just below the shoulder, causing her to recoil in pain. She hardly had time to lament on her injury when Salazar struck hard and her sword went flying from her grasp.

Carina's breath picked up in terror, for now she had no weapon to defend herself with.

Salazar raised his sword back and was prepared to kill Carina, but out of nowhere Jack rushed in with his sword raised before Salazar could deliver the fatal blow.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Jack shouted at the top of his lungs.

As Jack and Salazar resumed fighting again, Carina looked over and saw her sword lying on the ground. Quickly, she rolled across the ocean floor and picked her sword back up. She rushed over up alongside Jack and struck forward, and Salazar blocked her attack.

Jack and Carina were both swinging forward with their swords, father and daughter fighting side-by-side against a common foe. When Jack would strike high, Carina would strike low, and vice-versa. Salazar had to move with lightning fast speed in order to meet their attacks, and for the most part he was successful.

Eventually, the pair of them forced Salazar backwards, and then they retreated towards the Trident. They knew they couldn't keep up the fighting forever, and they weren't going to resort to killing Henry either. Salazar gave chase, and they had just about made it to Poseidon's coffin when he lunged for Jack again. Carina climbed up on top of the coffin to try grabbing the Trident again, while Jack would keep Salazar busy.

An idea suddenly came to Carina, and she looked at the base of the coffin where the Trident was attached. Quickly, she raised her sword and began to cut off the wooden vines ensnaring the weapon, and then she struck down at the bottom of the weapon to try to dislodge it. However, the precise moment the blade made contact with the base, the Trident broke free from its confines, and a tremendous amount of water shot out from inside the coffin, sending both the Trident and Carina flying.

Carina landed onto the sand, while the Trident landed against one of the reefs. The moment it hit the rocks, the humming coming from it increased in intensity and the jewel inside glowed even brighter. Not another moment later, a large amount of water started to jettison out of the sea barrier, and it was heading towards Jack and Salazar. The two stopped fighting to see the water coming at them, and the pair of them started to scream in terror as they were both carried away in separate directions by the powerful waves. Jack was sent flying over a reef away from the shrine, while Salazar flew in the opposite direction towards it. The area around them was consumed with a violent wind, spraying water droplets in a circular motion all around them.

Carina had gotten up off the ground, sheathing her sword, and started to rush over to the Trident. She still couldn't get over it. She was finally going to hold the Trident of Poseidon in her very hands.

She saw it just lying there, up against the rocks. Carina made haste and rushed towards it, and when she got there she kneeled alongside it.

"I've got it, father," Carina spoke aloud, unable to help the smile forming at her face despite the situation. The Trident was hers!

She reached out, placing her own hands upon the bark. But the moment she did, another pair of hands grabbed onto the Trident, and Carina looked up to see that Salazar was gripping onto the Trident, a look of rage on Henry's face.

"Henry, no!" Carina shouted, and both she and Salazar began fighting for the Trident. Carina pulled as hard as she could, but Salazar was too strong. Suddenly, a burst of energy shot out of the Trident, sending Carina flying backwards and crashing against one of the archways. She fell onto the sand again with a violent thud.

Salazar looked away from Carina to the Trident, which he now held in his grasp. So this was the instrument of a god? Salazar thought it should be able to do what the legends say it should.

He walked over closer to the coffin, and once he had straightened it out, Salazar, concentrating on what he wanted, slammed the endpiece into the ground, and another burst of energy emanated from the weapon.

Suddenly, Henry's facial features morphed, becoming more gaunt and cracked than he had ever looked before. Salazar shook in place, and finally, Henry's body suddenly went limp and fell onto the ground looking just the same as he did before Salazar possessed him, save for the injuries he had sustained fighting Jack and Carina. Fortunately, he was only unconscious.

But standing in place of where Henry was moments before stood the ghastly apparition of Armando Salazar, now holding onto the Trident of Poseidon. He was standing on dry land, but somehow the Trident's powers prevented him from disintegrating.

Jack had placed his hands on the reef and began to pull himself up, grunting in pain from the force of the waves. Once he did, his eyes widened in panic when he saw the familiar stature of Salazar standing and holding the Trident. Salazar tilted the Trident to show his cracked face and flowing hair, and his lips formed an evil grin as he stared down the pirate.

_"Hola, Sparrow,"_ Salazar spoke, sending a chill down Jack's spine.

Salazar lifted up the Trident and began to study it, thinking of the many ways in which he could use its magic to kill Jack. He pointed it towards the watery wall to his left and focused on it. He looked to be in awe when he saw a large quantity of water swish from within the magical barrier at his command. Salazar smiled, realizing the power he held in his hands.

Jack stood up and started to walk backwards slowly. Salazar was free from the mortal confines of Henry's body, walking on land, and had control over the power of the sea.

He was afraid.

Salazar began cackling like a madman, and he reeled the Trident back and started to gather a gigantic ball of water together from the wall. He swung forward with the Trident, and the ball of water came shooting out of the side and straight at Jack. The pirate screamed in terror as the water slammed against him and sent him flying, crashing against the back of another reef. He slumped onto the ground, trying to catch his breath.

* * *

Carina, groaning in pain, started to pick herself up of the ground. She looked up, and she saw that Salazar was now wielding the Trident, and he was now using it against Jack. If Salazar was now free, then that meant...

"Henry!" Carina called out, seeing Henry's unconscious form lying on the ground. Quickly, she rushed over to his side and started to shake his shoulders violently, saying, "Henry, wake up!"

Salazar's men began to step closer towards the barrier separating the ocean from the dry land. They had their swords drawn and were ready to strike the nearby Carina and Henry if they could.

"Salazar's got the Trident! Wake up!" Carina continued to shake Henry, but he wasn't waking up, "Please don't be dead!"

She stopped for a moment to see the ghosts approaching them from the side, and Carina, agitated at this point, shouted "Oh, piss off!"

One of the ghosts looked offended, but Carina couldn't care less. She looked over towards Salazar again, and she knew time was running out.

* * *

Salazar extended the Trident forward, sending another huge ball of water towards Jack. Instead of slamming him back again, it trapped him inside the raging waves and started to lift him upward. Jack was screaming in terror, and it was like music to Salazar's ears. He then began to start moving slowly in a circle, turning the Trident along with him. This in turn started to spin Jack around, sending him crashing through the water barrier where his screams were drowned out. Salazar kept on turning him around, sending him back out through the water where he continued screaming.

Out of the corner of his eye, Salazar saw Carina charging towards him with her sword drawn, and his focus on Jack was broken, the pirate landing on the sand with a thud. Quickly, Salazar drew his rapier from his scabbard and blocked an incoming strike from Carina. Forcing her back with his sword, he directed the Trident towards her and she was pushed back by a sudden burst of water.

Salazar, sheathing his sword, refocused his attention back on Jack just as he was about to get up, directed the Trident at him, and sent him flying into the other sea wall. He was low enough that some of Salazar's men tried to grab hold of him. One of them did, but as Salazar forced Jack out of the water again, the man holding onto him turned to dust, and Salazar broke off his torturing of Jack when he saw this.

Another one of his men had died, and it was entirely his fault. He was done toying with Jack.

"Hey!" Carina shouted, and Salazar turned to see her coming at him again with her sword.

"You never learn, do you _chica?"_ Salazar taunted, and Carina tried to strike at him in a vain attempt to stop him from killing Jack. Salazar leaned back from her strike, and then brought the Trident forward and used it to smack her sword from her grasp. Salazar did not hesitate any further, and so he positioned himself behind Carina and quickly held the Trident against her neck, causing her to yelp.

Jack was beginning to pick himself off the ground when he heard Carina's scream, and his head quickly bolted when he saw that Salazar had the Trident pressed against Carina's neck as she struggled to escape.

_"NO!"_ Jack screamed out, and without even a moment's hesitation he stood up and whipped his pistol out, pointing it straight at the monster who was holding his daughter hostage.

"Give it up, Sparrow!" Salazar shouted, holding on as tight as possible to keep the Trident pressed over Carina, "I will break the girl's neck, I swear to God!"

"Let her go, Salazar!" Jack bellowed, never having been more angered than he was at that moment, "This is between you and me! She's innocent!"

"No one who sails with pirates is innocent!" Salazar shouted back, "All your kind do is steal and kill, and you expect _mercy_ to be shown!? You filthy hypocrite!"

"I never claimed to be a saint, mate!" Jack replied through gritted teeth, his grip on the pistol tight as can be, "But you're as much of a monster as I am! Using a girl as a hostage, how _dare_ you!?"

"Surrender now, and she'll be allowed to live!" Salazar barked, "A fair trade, is it not?"

Jack looked into Carina's eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that she got from her mother. He saw the terror in her eyes, scared of dying at the hands of the ghostly Spaniard. Jack didn't know if he had admitted it to himself before, but if he was unsure before he was damn certain now of one simple truth.

He loved her. He would do anything for her.

He would _die_ for her if need be.

"Alright then," Jack spoke in a low voice, and without any warning, he turned his gun away from Salazar, and pointed it right under his jugular.

"Jack! No!" Carina shouted, struggling against Salazar's grip.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Salazar shouted, his temper flaring once again.

"Let the girl go, or I swear I'll take my own life!" Jack threatened. He had always been one to look after himself, his own survival taking precedence over everyone else's. But he had changed. He was a father, and the needs of his child came first.

"It's funny," Jack remarked, "I was stranded on an island, left to die, and I was given this pistol to kill myself with. Only fitting that this is how it should end for me, eh?"

"What are you playing at, Sparrow!?" Salazar demanded.

"I did a terrible thing to you," Jack began again, and Salazar went livid.

_"A terrible thing!?"_ Salazar shouted, looking like he was about to cry, _"I LOST MY ENTIRE FAMILY BECAUSE OF YOU!"_

"Don't pretend like your the only one who's lost someone, Salazar!" Jack retorted, "I lost my family too! A long time ago!"

There was a tense pause as the words sunk in between the two captains.

_"I'm sorry!"_ Jack shouted, "I wish I could go back and change everything I did wrong, but I can't! And don't think that I didn't try!"

Salazar furrowed his brow as Jack held the gun to his head.

"None of it changes the fact that I'm the cause of your pain," Jack spoke plainly, "I deserve to be punished. You deserve your revenge. You deserve the chance to be able to put a blade in me, twist it in me, watch me writhe in pain as I die. Because I'm the pirate that destroyed your life!"

Salazar's eye began twitching, and he wheezed heavily. His temper was rising like never before.

"You can't have any of that if I pull this trigger, and you know it!" Jack shouted.

Salazar knew Jack was right. If he killed himself, then he would never know the satisfaction of killing him. He was so close now! He couldn't let revenge escape him! For his crew! For his family! For himself!

Jack thumbed back the hammer, and Carina shouted, "Jack, don't do it!"

"It's alright, Carina," Jack spoke gently, "Everything's going to be just fine. You've made your father proud."

Jack gave a weak but genuine smile towards her.

"Alright then, _hombre,"_ Salazar spat, black blood dripping down his chin once more, "If that's the way you want to play it, then so be it!"

"Come on then, Armando," Jack said, "Let's finish this the way we started it. Together!"

All at once, Salazar threw Carina to the side, drew his rapier, and began to charge right at Jack, hollering at the top of his lungs. Jack immediately dropped his pistol and rolled out of the way before Salazar could kill him. He snatched onto Carina's fallen sword and used that to defend himself from Salazar's blade, fending him off as best as he could.

Carina had scurried away from where Jack and Salazar were, and rushed back over to Henry's side, who was still unconscious.

"Henry, wake up!" Carina begged, shaking his shoulders, "He's going to kill Jack!"

Running out of time and options, Carina smacked Henry hard across his face, and in an instant his eyes snapped open as he drew in a sharp inhale.

"Henry, it's me! You're alright!" Carina reassured him, but Henry still looked panicked, breathing in and out at a fast pace.

"Carina..." Henry's voice sounded weak, "I'm- I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Don't worry about it right now!" Carina told him, "Salazar has the Trident and he's going to kill Jack!"

"Salazar..." Henry's voice still sounded weak, like he had the wind knocked out of him. He shut his eyes tight, and he said, "The _pain,_ Carina. _So... much... pain..."_

Carina thought she saw a tear roll down his cheek. What had Salazar done to him?

"He's hurt," Henry spoke, his eyes still shut, "He misses them... he wants to die... he _needs_ to... he needs that release..."

Carina realized something when he said that. How could she have forgotten about it?

"Wait a minute, 'release'..." Carina remembered now, _"The Trident holds the power to control the wind and tide, and to release this power, all must divide."_

"What?" Henry asked, opening his eyes.

"It's a riddle in Galileo's diary," Carina explained, "If the Trident holds all the power, then-"

"Then that means every curse is held inside!" Henry finished, realizing what this meant.

Jack had managed to disarm Salazar once more, sending his rapier flying from his grasp. Because the sword was cursed just like him, it disintegrated the moment it touched the dry ground. Enraged, Salazar swung the Trident in his other hand towards Jack, and this time the force snapped the blade of Carina's sword right in half. Jack dropped the now useless sword, and Salazar lunged forward with the Trident. Jack reached up and grabbed the prongs of the weapon before they could claim his life, using all of his failing strength to stop _El Matador Del Mar._

"And to release the power of sea, you'd have to-" Henry began.

"Destroy the Trident!" Carina said aloud, realizing what needed to be done.

" _Destroy_ it!?" Henry asked, incredulous, "But Carina, it's the Trident of Poseidon!"

"If we don't destroy it, Salazar will kill Jack!" Carina shouted, "And your father will still be saved! We break the Trident, his curse is lifted too!"

As much as Henry wanted to protest, he knew she was right. It would be a shame to lose the power of the sea, but no amount of power compared to family.

Jack was struggling to resist Salazar, who was unrelenting as he tried to kill Jack. Eventually, his patience disappearing completely, and he shouted _"This is where the tale ENDS!"_

Salazar drove forward with all his might, and the Trident's longest prong pierced over Jack's heart.

"AAAAAAGH!" Jack cried out, and Salazar began pushing Jack back.

"NO!" Carina called out, her and Henry watching as Salazar had struck Jack.

They had stopped moving back when Jack was pushed up against the edge of a boulder, groaning in pain. Jack looked up at Salazar in shock, and the Spaniard was showing his teeth in what had to be a look of pure evil.

Jack's initial shock faded away, replaced by a look of apathy.

"So..." Jack began weakly, "You've finally gotten what you wanted most."

"No, Jack Sparrow," Salazar began, "I have not."

Salazar pressed harder with the Trident, making sure that this would kill him. Jack hung his head down low.

"Shhhhhh," Salazar spoke softly, "It will be over soon."

Jack lifted his head back up, and Salazar saw that he was smiling mischievously. Confused, he looked down at where the Trident had pierced Jack over his heart, and Salazar saw that there was a small, leather-bound book tucked inside his waistcoat blocking the prong. Galileo's diary had saved him.

"What is this!?" Salazar demanded.

"Pirate," Jack retorted, and he grabbed onto the prongs of the Trident before Salazar could pull it out again.

Henry and Carina both saw that Jack was still alive, and Henry then said aloud, "Divide."

"Henry!" Jack called out to him, holding the Trident in place as Salazar attempted to pull it back out, "HENRY!"

"Break the Trident-" Carina began.

"- and you break every curse at sea!" Henry finished, getting up off the ground and drawing his sword. Time slowed down as he rushed towards Jack and Salazar, but he found that he didn't have as much strength as he thought. He started to feel lightheaded, and he felt like he was going to pass out again. But he had to get there. He had to save Jack.

But he couldn't do it. As he ran closer to the pair, Henry called out to Jack, and both Salazar and Jack turned their heads towards the boy. Henry got as close as he could and then he started to stumble and fall onto the ground, but not before he tossed his sword out, and Jack reached out and grabbed the hilt with his right hand.

As Henry passed out again, Jack raised Henry's sword up on high, and he swung down hard, striking the Trident right at the centerpiece where the glowing crystal was. The weapon shattered, and a large burst of energy came from the center, making a very audible sound as it spread throughout the abyss. The swirling water droplets all around them suddenly stopped, and the sea was calm.

Salazar stepped back, dropping the Trident's handle. He stumbled backwards, eventually having to lean against a nearby rock so that he wouldn't suddenly double over. Jack stood there, still holding onto Henry's sword, watching what was happening.

* * *

Up above, the Hydra had been causing no shortage of grief for the pirates or the British. But in an instant, it started to writhe and howl in immense pain, its dragon-like heads moving in any which direction as it started to collapse.

Scrum rose up above the cover of the rail of the _Queen Anne's Revenge,_ seeing that the Hydra looked to be dying. Finally, the massive beast came down with a mighty splash into the water, and the ships in the vicinity were rocked by the force.

The majority of the pirate fleet was still afloat, and the pirates were cheering in victory now that the Hydra was no more. Better still, the few surviving Royal Navy ships began to turn tail, sailing back the way they came. Scrum threw his hat and cheered alongside the men of the _Revenge._

The _Flying Dutchman_ was nowhere in sight.

Over on the British frigate known as the _HMS Sabre,_ the redcoats were fleeing alongside their compatriots, seeing that continuing to fight the pirates would be nothing short of total disaster.

There was a British officer, soaking wet from head to toe, sitting on the quarter deck and draped in a blanket. He was shivering from not only the cold waters, but also from what he had just lived through.

A young private came forward holding a bottle of rum in his hands, offering it to the officer and saying, "Sir."

The officer took the bottle roughly and started to drink right from it.

"Captain Scarfield," the soldier questioned, "what happened over there?"

_"Pirates,"_ Scarfield bitterly replied.

* * *

Jack continued to watch as Salazar was hunched over, gasping for breath. Slowly but surely, Jack started to notice changes in Salazar. The watery motions of his hair and clothing were beginning to dissipate, and natural gravity took over. His hair stopped waving and started to droop down low, and his clothes looked extremely baggy as copious amounts of water dripped from his blackened overcoat.

Over along either side of the trench, Salazar's men started gasping for air. Bubbles came out of their mouth as water flooded their systems. Quickly, it looked like the missing body parts of the crew members started to reform. Those that had lost major body cavities, arms, legs, even heads, soon found themselves restored as they were before they were cursed by the Devil's Triangle, apart from their clothing which remained blackened and charred.

Lesaro was the first to step out from the water, coughing up water from his lungs as he collapsed onto one of the rocks. Soon, the rest of the men started to stumble out, their bodies restored and their skin not the deathly pale it had been.

Their curse had been lifted. The crew was returning to the land of the living.

Salazar felt his wheezing breath become a steady, normal breath once more. The cracks in his face and hands were filled. Blood started to flow through him and his heart started beating, restoring color to his face. His back and legs had healed, leaving him no longer hunched and limping. And most of all, the ginormous gash left in the left side of his head began to fill in, and his skull, bones, tissue, ear, and hair all were restored to what they had been in life.

Salazar put a hand to his face, feeling his smooth, living skin for the first time in decades. He looked down at his hand in disbelief, seeing it was now fleshy and warm once again. He put his other hand to his restored ear, and he gasped in joy. Simple sensations he took for granted years ago had been given back to him. He was alive once more.

Salazar laughed. Not his usual malicious cackle, but a genuine laugh, one that was content and full of nothing but positive emotions. Salazar outstretched his arms, held his head back, and began to bask in the overwhelmingly good sensation of being alive again.

Jack was watching as Salazar came back to life, and was genuinely shocked to not only see his humanity restored, but to see him not full of the anger or rage that he had bottled up inside him for all those years.

Salazar turned his attention towards Jack, and the first thing Jack thought is that he would try to kill him, still wanting the revenge he had been craving for so long.

But he didn't. He looked at Jack straight in the eyes, and he continued to smile with glee. There wasn't a hint of anger in his face, and Jack was puzzled. Salazar had been obsessing about the day he would kill him, and now he was looking at him with a look of genuine happiness.

He stepped forward, his arms outstretched, approaching Jack real slowly.

"Th-"

_BOOM!_

A deafening noise rang out through the abyss, and the look on Salazar's face had switched from pure joy to abject horror. Jack did not know what had just happened. Salazar reached a hand to the spot on his chest over his heart, and when he removed it he saw it covered in blood. Not the black kind he had spewing from his mouth for all these years, but it was thick and red.

He had been shot.

Salazar's hand started to shake as he looked down on it in horror, and then he looked back up toward Jack. Jack then looked down at his belt, and he saw that his pistol was gone. He looked back up at Salazar, who, for the first time since Jack had met him, was afraid.

Salazar fell onto his knees, and Jack looked behind him to see Carina standing there, holding his pistol. Smoke was emanating from the barrel. Her arm was outstretched. Her hand was shaking. Her face had gone pale with horror.

She had shot him.

Jack stood there, stunned by what Carina had just done. She continued to stare at Salazar, pointing the empty pistol towards him. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Jack looked down at Salazar again, who was clutching to his chest. The Spaniard looked upward towards the pirate with a terrified look in his eyes. His skin was becoming pale once more.

Salazar slumped over and fell onto his back, and started to wheeze heavily. Quickly, Jack dropped Henry's sword and got over to his side. Salazar now had his left arm clutched over his chest, drawing quicker and quicker breaths with every passing moment. Jack extended his right hand out and tried to put it on his shoulder, but Salazar's own hand reached up and grabbed his own before he could. Jack jumped at this sudden movement, but realized there was no use fighting it. Salazar pulled his arm closer to his eyes, being able to make out the pirate branding and the sparrow tattoo just above it.

He took his other hand off of his chest and patted the back of Jack's palm twice very slowly.

_"You... you showed me... mer...cy..."_ Salazar spoke weakly, looking at the pirate who not long ago he was trying to kill. As he lay dying, with Jack by his side, he realized how wrong he'd been in life, believing that all pirates were selfish and cruel and nothing more.

Not all of them, it seemed.

" _Thank you..."_ Salazar uttered, smiling one last time. His eyes then turned away from Jack and looked upward at the morning sky above the abyss, the light at the end of the tunnel. His grip on Jack's arm loosened, and his arms came back to his sides. The smile slowly disappeared from his face, and the mighty Spanish captain exhaled his last breath.

_I'm coming, Maria._

Armando Salazar was dead. For good, this time.

Jack extended his hand forward and closed Salazar's eyelids.

"Rest in peace, mate," Jack remarked. He died as a mortal man, able to feel the joy of living for just a moment. Jack had seen that, at the very end, he had let his anger go. He had died with dignity.

Jack looked upward at Carina, who was staring at Salazar's now-lifeless body, still holding the pistol out with her hand shaking tremendously. Quickly, Jack got to his feet and saw she was still staring at Salazar, too mortified by what she had just done to look him in the eye. Her eyes were red, and tears started to pour out of them.

She had killed Salazar.

"Carina," Jack spoke, trying to get her attention away from Salazar, "Carina, it's over."

" _What have I done?"_ Carina's voice cracks, and Jack is heartbroken to see her so distraught. Jack steps over Salazar's body and walks towards his daughter, watching as the gun slipped out of her grasp and onto the ground. Carina slowly brings her hands to her face, repeatedly saying, _"What have I done? What have I done?"_

As Carina begins to collapse onto her knees, Jack closes the distance between them and catches her in a tight embrace, saying, "Shhhhhhh, it's alright now."

Carina sobs uncontrollably into her hands, pressed up against Jack's right shoulder as he takes the pair of them slowly towards the ground.

_"I killed him!"_ Carina managed to get out through a muffled sob, and Jack's heart shattered. She should never have had to go through something like that. Not ever.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Carina," Jack consoled her. He knew that it probably wouldn't be enough to quell her grief, but he was going to try the best he could.

Carina pulled back from the embrace, her eyes red and puffy, but had to avert her eyes from Jack's. She couldn't bear to look at him, overwhelmed by what she had just done.

She turned her head downward, and that's when she saw Jack's exposed forearm. Salazar had torn his left sleeve during the fighting, leaving his arm bare.

That's when she saw it.

She looked closely at his arm and saw the self-inflicted scar he had given himself.

It was the constellation that Galileo had drawn in his diary, the one that lead to the Trident.

At that moment, Carina's eyes widened in shock, realizing what this meant. No one else could've had this.

She knew who he was.

Slowly, she looked up towards Jack, facing him directly in the eyes. She looked for any signs of him deceiving her, but he wasn't. Jack looked at her with a combined expression of heartbreak and pride.

_No. No, it can't be! How? That's impossible! It doesn't make any sense! He's dead!_

Carina's jaw dropped, as about a million different emotions flooded through her mind. Shock, confusion, anger, sadness, longing, disbelief, joy, surprise, disappointment, and relief were the most prominent of everything she was feeling at that moment. Jack looked upon her solemnly, never wanting her to have discovered the truth about herself but nevertheless relieved that she had.

Carina couldn't believe her eyes. There was _no way_ this was happening right now. Her mother had told her her father had died before she was born, that he was a merchant sailor for the East India Trading Company that had perished in his pursuit of the Trident. Jonathan Smyth, captain of the _Wicked Wench._ A good man.

There was no way that the man holding her right now was her blood. Not Jack Sparrow. He was a notorious pirate. A thief, a plunderer, a scoundrel who did as he pleased with little regard as to what others thought.

But she had gotten to know Jack the past couple of days, saw his intelligence, his skill, and the way he would go about being a hero despite believing he was anything but. She saw the way that he was holding her, very affectionately but in a way that said that the bond between the two of them was a special one. It was at this moment that Carina realized that Jonathan Smyth and Jack Sparrow just might be the same man. She had no idea how he was still alive, or how he had become a pirate in the first place, but he was here now.

Somehow, this eccentric, rum-soaked, dreadlocked pirate that she only met a week ago was her father.

"Who..." Carina began, tears still rolling down her face, "... _what_ am I to you?"

Jack brought his hand up to her face and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, wiping the tears away. He smiled, and his eyes began to water as well. Maggie had given him the greatest gift that any man could ever ask for.

_"Treasure,"_ Jack let the word escape his lips. He had never been more honest with himself than he was in that moment. She mattered more to him than all the silver and gold in the world.

Carina continued to gaze at him, her shock and confusion still present on her face. But out of the corner of Jack's eye, he saw that a hint of a smile was starting to form at her lips as well.

Carina leaned in and wrapped her arms tightly around her father. Jack did the same with his daughter.

They had finally been reunited.

Time slowed down for the both of them. Neither of them couldn't believe this was actually happening. Jack had given up on all hope of ever being truly happy again, and Carina never thought she would be able to know what a father's love felt like. And yet, here they both were, holding each other tightly, feeling the other's warm embrace, sitting at the bottom of the sea.

"You have your mother's eyes," Jack whispered into her ear, and Carina started to cry even more. This was her father after all.

While father and daughter were now happily reunited, Henry started to regain consciousness once more. Still laying on the ground, he saw his father's knife lying near him and grabbed it, tucking it in his boot. Once he did that, he noticed something very peculiar in front of him.

A small, orange jewel that was glowing brightly. It looked almost identical to the one that had been the Trident's centerpiece. Had this been contained inside?

Henry reached out with his hand and grabbed it, and instantly he felt a small shock of electricity surge through his arm for a brief moment. Getting onto his knees, Henry stared down at the jewel in his hands, watching as it continued to glow.

_"Unum annum pacem,"_ an eerie, disembodied voice whispered out. Henry looked around to see who had said it, but there was no one near him that could have said it.

"Unum annum pacem," Henry repeated, staring at the jewel. What did that mean?

Placing the jewel in his pocket, Henry looked ahead and saw that Salazar's crew was now human again, still coughing up water and trying to regain their energy. Some of the men that had fully recovered began to cheer, overjoyed that they were living once more.

"All curses are broken," Henry remarked, taking in the view of the Spanish. Had this freed his father too?

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise sounded throughout the trench, and Henry looked at either side and saw that the water was beginning to push in slowly. The Trident had been broken, so the magical barrier holding the water back had been broken as well.

"Oh no," Henry uttered. This was not good.

Jack and Carina let go of each other when they heard the rumbling, getting up slowly to their feet. They saw the walls were closing in. Jack picked up his pistol, tucked it away in his belt, and began to panic.

Lesaro was wiping water off of his face with his coat's sleeve, still breathing heavily as he had come back to life. He heard the panicked exclamations of the crew, and turned to see the water coming in closer towards them. He was now terrified, but hopefully his captain could come up with a plan.

Lesaro turned his head towards where he saw Salazar last, and just as he was about to call out to him, he saw his lifeless corpse lying back on the black sand.

_"Capitan!"_ Lesaro called out in horror, not being able to process that the man he had served under for so many years now lay dead. At this exclamation, the other Spanish turned their heads and looked on in grief as _El Matador Del Mar_ was no more.

Lesaro looked up, and saw that Jack, Carina, and Henry were all still alive. His temper began to rise, enraged by his captain's death and driven by his absolute loyalty, and he drew his rapier from his scabbard.

"SPARROW!" Lesaro shouted out, and all at once Jack, Carina, and Henry looked towards the Spanish and saw them begin to draw their weapons. Henry got up off the ground quickly and picked up his sword, standing in front of Jack and Carina, preparing for the attack.

But then, they heard the sounds of a metal chain clinking, and the three of them looked up to see an anchor on a chain descending down towards them. Standing on top of the anchor was Barbossa, absent of his hat, coat, and weapons. He was holding onto one of the chain's links, somehow being able to maintain his balance with his peg-leg. All of them looked up above Barbossa to see the _Black Pearl_ sailing along the edge of the abyss, barely keeping itself from falling in.

"The _Pearl!"_ Henry remarked.

"Move! Fast!" Barbossa called out to them, as the anchor descended nearer and nearer towards them.

Jack seized Henry by the back of his shirt, pulling him back as he shouted to him and Carina, "Go, GO! NOW!"

Henry and Carina took off running back towards the shrine, Jack following close behind them. At that moment, Lesaro and the surviving Spanish charged forward in an attempt to catch them before they escaped.

Up above, Gibbs was handling the _Pearl's_ wheel with care as he called out to the men manning the capstan, saying, "Hold it steady, boys! Don't let her slip!"

At the capstan, Pintel, Ragetti, Cotton, Murtogg, and Mullroy were all moving in a counterclockwise motion, using all their strength to push the handles forward so the anchor could lower.

Back down below, Jack, Carina, and Henry rushed past the shrine to Poseidon, Lesaro and the rest of the crew hot on their heels. Eventually, they saw a reef that had a smooth, high incline, and they started to rush up it just as the bottom of the anchor became parallel with the surface.

"Jump!" Barbossa called out again, and when they made it to the top of the reef, the three of them jumped onto the anchor and grabbed hold. Once they had all securely grabbed onto the anchor, Barbossa shouted, "Climb up! Now!"

Barbossa started to climb up the chain, grabbing hold and moving up as quickly as he could. Following behind him was Carina, having just grabbed onto the chain and started to climb as well. Henry followed soon after, trying his best to climb fast despite his injured arm, and Jack right behind him.

Jack looked below as he climbed to see that Lesaro and the crew were still hard-pressed to catch them. Salazar had certainly inspired loyalty in them, that much was certain.

As they were climbing upward, they all saw that the chain was continuing to descend downward. Barbossa called out up about, saying, "Weigh anchor!"

Gibbs and the rest of the crew heard Barbossa's order, and Gibbs relayed it, saying, "Get the anchor up! Quick!"

"Stop, stop!" Pintel said, getting the attention of the other men at the capstan, "Bring it up! Bring it up!"

The pirates suddenly stopped, and then started to move in a clockwise motion, raising the chain.

But it came a moment too late, for just as the pirates started to raise the anchor, Lesaro and two other men had grabbed the bottom of the anchor and started to climb. As the anchor lifted upward, Lesaro looked down to see the remains of the Spanish crew calling up begging for help. But there was nothing he could do for them now. Suppressing whatever guilt he felt at that moment, Lesaro began to climb up the anchor, the other two surviving Spanish right behind him. He had a firm grip on his blade, a strong hold on the chain, and a burning desire to avenge his fallen captain. His half-destroyed hat had flown off his head, but it didn't matter to him.

Gibbs was exerting all of his strength to keep the _Pearl_ from falling into the narrowing trench, having to work against the weight of the port anchor. The rest of the crew were managing the sails as best they could so the winds could not do them ill, and the crew at the capstan were moving as quickly as they could to bring the anchor up.

Jack looked down, and saw that the water was becoming more and more unstable. The ocean started to flood at the bottom, consuming Poseidon's tomb and having the sea reclaim it forevermore. He couldn't see or hear them, but he knew that the rest of the Spanish crew were to be trapped under the waves and remain there.

Barbossa was getting closer to the top, with Carina right below him and Henry close behind her. It wasn't long to go now. The crew had to get the anchor up before the waves crashed against them. But Barbossa looked out ahead of them, and saw they were approaching a reef jutting out from the water barrier on the righthand side. It was too low to hit any of them on the chain, but if they collided with it, it would shake the chain before it could be fully raised.

"REEF!" Barbossa called out, and all heads were fixated on the reef just ahead of them. Quickly, they all started to climb faster towards the top of the chain, but soon enough the chain collided with the reef in the sizeable gap between Jack and Lesaro. As metal struck through brittle rock, Lesaro and his men narrowly avoided the debris, and the chain began to shake.

Back up on the deck of the _Pearl,_ the force of the collision caused the handle Ragetti was pushing to snap in half, causing Ragetti to fall and the broken handle to be dislodged. As a result, the capstan lurched, and started to move counterclockwise on its own. The other men were being pushed back from the weight of the anchor, and the chain started to lower again quickly.

Carina's hand slipped on the chain as she struggled to maintain her grip while the chain descended. She panicked, as did everyone else on the chain who was trying to keep themselves from falling off.

The pirates had managed to press hard enough against the capstan that it stopped lowering the chain, stopping in place with an audible clink. When that happened, the force of the sudden stopping caused the chain to shake even more, and Carina lost her grip on the chain completely. She started screaming as she fell off, and Barbossa and Henry looked on in fear as she fell.

"CARINA!" Henry called out to her.

Jack watched as his daughter was falling up above him, and he was terrified in that moment. Acting quickly, he extended his arm out and caught onto her just as she fell past him.

"I got you, girl!" Jack reassured her, and Carina heaved a heavy sigh of relief. She thought she was dead for certain. Carina looked up at her father, who looked like he was strained for breath holding onto her.

The pirates above started to raise the chain again, taking every precaution they could to make sure they didn't slip again.

Jack was shaken. If he hadn't acted when he did, Carina would be lying at the bottom of the ocean now. He looked upon her, relieved that she was safe, but still terrified that he had almost lost her again.

Jack looked over her shoulder, and saw that Lesaro was closing in on them, sword in hand. He was a problem Jack had created, one borne out of Jack's sense of self-preservation. And now he looked as he was prepared to kill his daughter for what had happened.

_No. You're not going to lay a finger on her, you bastard._

Carina looked down and saw Lesaro as well, then looked back up at Jack and saw the look on his face, realizing what he was thinking.

_"No..."_ Carina spoke in a hoarse voice, "Father, NO!"

Barbossa and Henry looked down, watching what was now unfolding.

Jack took a moment to register what she had just said. She had called him "father" for the first time. Not "Jack," not "Captain Sparrow," just "father." Jack smiled at her, proud of the woman that she had become. He wanted to say so much to her, to tell her that he was sorry for not being there for her growing up, that he loved her completely and unconditionally.

But he saw Lesaro below her, ready to kill his baby girl. There was no more time. There was no other decision to make.

"I'm sorry, Carina," Jack spoke to her, placing her hand along the chain, which she took hold of, "I love you."

As Carina looked to be in shock, Jack looked up, and called out above to his longtime friend and rival, saying, "HECTOR!"

Barbossa looked down at Jack, realizing what he was about to do. This wasn't like Jack to make the sacrifice play, but it was the way he wanted to handle this. Quickly, Barbossa extended his peg-leg out and put it through the handle of Henry's sword. Lifting his leg up, Henry watched as Barbossa removed the blade from his belt, and watched as it was falling down toward Jack. Jack then reached out with his right hand and caught onto the weapon's handle, holding the blade downward.

"FATHER, DON'T DO THIS!" Carina begged, her heart racing and the tears starting back up again. But Jack had made up his mind. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew this was the only way to keep her safe.

And honestly? He couldn't imagine himself going out a better way.

"Go beyond," Jack told his daughter, and with that, he let go of the chain.

Carina was mortified, and she watched in stunned silence as Jack let himself descend downward. Jack looked up towards her with a solemn expression, up into those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

He was beyond glad that he had gotten the chance to know her.

Jack looked down, and focused his attention on the one-eyed Spaniard, who was mere inches away from striking at Carina. With all his might, Jack let out a mighty yell, and plunged the sword right through Lesaro's heart.

"AGH!" Lesaro cried out in pain, and he had let go of the chain, dropping his sword in the process. Jack let go of Henry's sword, and watched as Lesaro started to plummet downward, screaming while he did so. He ended up colliding into the other two Spaniards on the chain, and the three of them started to fall closer into the raging sea below them. Lesaro kept on screaming until his face made contact with the anchor, and he and his men fell into the water.

Time slowed down for Jack again, and he managed to twist himself that he was looking upward towards the sky.

First, he looked up towards the _Black Pearl,_ the magnificent, beautiful ship that he had sold his soul to raise from the depths. He had gone to numerous lengths to keep his beloved ship and make sure it remained in his hands. For the longest time, that ship mattered more to him than anything else in the world.

He then looked at Hector Barbossa, his mutinous first-mate that had betrayed him and left him to die. The man he was now proud to call his friend. Barbossa looked down in shock watching Jack fall down the trench.

His eyes then moved to Henry Turner, the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. It was then that he realized he was never going to see either of them again, but he was glad to have at least met Henry. He was a good, noble young man who knew right and wrong, just like his parents. In a way, Jack cared for him like he were his own son. Henry's mouth was agape as he watched his hero descend further and further down the abyss.

Finally, his eyes rested on Carina, who was reaching out with her arm in a vain attempt to save him. Her cries of defiance were drowned out by the sounds of the rushing waves around them. Jack never knew she had existed until a week ago, and he loved her like he had loved nothing else.

For his whole life, Jack had been searching for purpose. In his old age, he had lost all hope. But Carina had restored his hope, and gave him something to believe in.

Jack extended his arm outward, reaching out towards Carina, as he kept falling. The barriers were all but broken, and the raging waters lay waiting to claim him. When he extended his arm, the tattoo of the sparrow flying across the horizon could be seen, as could the pirate branding that Cutler Beckett had given him all those years ago.

He had lived as a pirate, and would now die as a good man.

Jack closed his eyes, the image of his daughter being the only thing on his mind.

_Maggie... I'm coming._

Captain Jack Sparrow fell between the waves, and he was claimed by the sea.

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ Carina cried out as she watched the raging waves engulf her father. She didn't care one bit about the water walls finally collapsing, consuming them all with water.

* * *

As the water collided together, there was a tremendous splash, rocking the _Pearl_ and the crew with it. Gibbs had let go of the wheel and slammed against the port rail. Looking over, he saw that the sea was calm again, and the water had returned to normal.

But there was no sign of anyone that was down there.

"Get the anchor up, double-time!" Gibbs shouted, and hastily the pirates turned the capstan to raise the anchor up all the way. Gibbs looked down as the rising chain with bated breath.

"Come on, come on!" Gibbs called out.

All at once, there was a splash in the water, and out rose Barbossa, Henry, and Carina, all gasping for breath as they had been lifted up out of the water. The crew hurried over and helped the three of them climb over the rail onto the deck, soaking wet from head to toe. Some of the men began to cheer for they had saved them, but soon it became clear to them that something was very wrong.

Gibbs came down off the quarter deck, and the chatter had died down. As Carina, Henry, and Barbossa had stood themselves up properly, he dared to ask the question everyone was dreading.

"Where's Jack?" he asked.

Carina's lip was quivering as she couldn't bring herself to face Gibbs, Henry looked shocked beyond all belief, and Barbossa looked towards Gibbs with the most solemn expression he ever had.

There was a stunned silence. None of them could believe it. It was impossible. There was no way that it was true.

The crew all looked over the port rail in hopes of being wrong, that Jack's luck had kicked in and saved him from meeting his demise at the last second.

But nothing came up.

"Pirate's life, Jack," Barbossa remarked, "Pirate's life."

The crew were in complete disbelief. Jack could survive this, he could survive anything. But the more time had passed the more time they had to admit the bitter truth to themselves.

Jack Sparrow was dead.

Murtogg and Mullroy were the first to take off their hats and placed them over their hearts. The rest of the crew that had hats did the same. Gibbs placed his right hand over his heart, paying his respects toward the man he had served alongside for twenty years. Pintel, Ragetti, Cotton, Marty, and the rest mourned silently for the loss of their captain.

Pintel and Ragetti noticed something pop out of the water towards the stern. It looked like a small book. Quickly and quietly, they departed from the edge of the rail, grabbed a fishing net, and scooped it up from the water. Setting the net down, Pintel and Ragetti took hold of Galileo's diary, and wondered what they should do with it.

All around them, the pirate fleet was celebrating their victory in the battle, but it hardly felt like a victory to those aboard the _Black Pearl._ Even watching the remains of the _Silent Mary,_ free from the curse of the Devil's Triangle, sink down to the depths was not enough to lift their spirits.

Barbossa walked backwards away from the mourning crowd, leaving Henry and Carina by themselves near the bow. Barbossa placed his hand along the starboard rail and limped his way over towards the helm. When he got there, Pintel had placed his overcoat over his shoulders, while Ragetti handed him his blunderbuss-cane. They did so without a trace of their usual antics.

"We found this, sir," Ragetti spoke up, holding out Galileo's diary towards him. Hesitently, Barbossa took the diary and eyed it before putting it in his coat pocket. He then looked upon the _Pearl's_ wheel, which had been damaged during the fighting. Barbossa started to limp towards it, and outstretched his free hand to grab the wheel.

However, he stopped himself before he could touch it. He realized something at that moment, something he should have figured out a long time ago.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Pintel asked him, but Barbossa didn't know what to do now. However, he knew what not to do.

"I be the captain of the _Revenge,_ aye," Barbossa remarked solemnly, "but not the _Pearl._ It was never mine to begin with. I am not its true master."

Its true master now lay dead at the bottom of the sea. Barbossa never thought he would find himself mourning the loss of the man who had killed him.

"I... I think I'm done, gents," Barbossa said, "I think I'm done."

Pintel and Ragetti stood in stunned silence to hear Barbossa say that. This would be the man who would stop at nothing to obtain more and more power for himself as he always had. And now with Jack gone, he could control the _Pearl_ again and make himself unquestionably the most feared pirate of the Caribbean.

But Barbossa didn't want any of that. Not anymore.

As Barbossa limped away from the helm back towards the mourning crew, he reflected on all the terrible things he had done. Every sin he committed on his path to power, paved with the blood of guilty and innocent alike. Salazar had given him pause to reflect on everything he had done for power, and he had to admit he was just as much a monster as he was. But it wasn't until Jack had died that he truly understood the mistakes he made, and felt such a burning desire to take it all back.

He limped back over next to Henry, pulled the diary out of his coat, held it out and said, "Mr. Turner."

Henry turned around, and he saw Barbossa holding out the diary to him. Without question, he took the book and nodded his head towards the one-legged captain. Barbossa returned the courtesy, and left him be.

Henry turned towards Carina, who was still looking over the port rail, silently trying to suppress her heavy sobbing. Henry felt so terrible for her right now. She had been reunited with her father, only to watch him die before her very eyes. He couldn't imagine the grief she was going through.

"Are you alright, Carina?" Henry asked, but even he felt unsure if he wanted to disturb her at that moment.

"For a moment..." Carina began, her voice weak, "... for a moment, I had everything, Henry. I had everything I had always wanted."

She looked down at the sea, watching her own tears fall in and dissipate with the rest of the water.

"Now it's all gone again," Carina spoke, not willing to look Henry in the eye.

"Its not all gone, Ms. Smyth," Henry said, holding out Galileo's diary towards her. Carina turned towards Henry and looked at the book, exasperated that he had it. Gingerly, she took the book, and then she looked up at the young Turner, and said, "Thank you, Henry."

Carina turned away from him and continued to cry, but was feeling a little better now than she was before. She held the book in her right hand, and Henry wrapped his fingers around Carina's.

The two stood there in silence, as the morning sun shone brightly over the crew of the _Black Pearl._


	22. Beyond The Horizon

It was near sunset now, and the golden rays of the sun shone down on over the island of Port Charles. It wasn't a particularly large island, especially compared to its cousin Jamaica not too far southeast, but it was populated well enough due to it serving as a stopover for ships heading between Port Royal and Havana. Even with a garrison of the King's troops, Port Charles was a sleepy island, and people went about their lives without bother. That being said, there were lush, green forests that isolated the local town from the lighthouse and cottage at the other end, offering privacy in that direction.

The _Black Pearl_ was docked a little ways away from the lighthouse, up against a pier that extended from the sandy beaches just below the rocky cliffside. Up on top of the rolling hills and tall grass that was blowing in the wind, Henry and Carina were walking side-by-side with each other, both wearing new clothing that was in better condition than what they had previously had on. Henry was sporting a light brown jacket, light grey vest, and had his hair fixed neat in a ponytail once more. Carina was wearing a white dress with a flower pattern that she had received from Barbossa (though she didn't bother to ask where he had gotten it), and chose to keep her hair down.

Henry looked around the grassy plains where he had spent his boyhood. It had been quite some time since he had been home after he had joined up with the Royal Navy, a decision his mother was not particularly thrilled about. Nevertheless, he was home now, and he took a moment to reminisce about the days he spent playing here when he was a child, back when he was sheltered from the cruel realities of the world. He stops walking and turns around to view the sea beyond.

He thinks back now to almost ten years ago now, skipping through these fields with his mother following close behind him. The pair of them had stood at the edge of the cliffside, and his mother had wrapped her arm around him and pulled him close. They both stood looking out and watching the sun set over the horizon, waiting in anticipation. As the sun went down they saw a green flash in the distance, and after it had dissipated the _Flying Dutchman_ had come into view, with his father hanging from the rigging and smiling at the sight of his wife and son.

That had been the happiest day of Henry's life.

_"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot,"_ Henry started to sing in a low voice, _"Drink up me hearties, yo-ho..."_

"What's that?" Carina asked, turning her head towards him.

"Oh," Henry spoke up, "I was just remembering something is all. A song I learned as a boy."

"Oh, I see," Carina replied, and she turned away from Henry again. She didn't want to say anything right now, but she had remembered that that was the song that Jack had taught her while they were on the island. Just the mere thought of her father was enough to make her feel terrible on the inside, but she was able to fight back her urge to fall apart again. No amount of tears was going to bring him back.

Henry, sensing her distress, quickly changed the subject by asking, "How's your arm?"

Carina looked back over towards him while rubbing her right arm subconsciously, saying, "I'm fine. Little more than a scratch, really."

"I just feel terrible about it. I mean, I know I wasn't in control then, but I still feel-" Henry began, but Carina cut him off, saying, "You don't have to apologize, Henry. It wasn't your fault."

They looked at each other for a moment in silence, before they both turned their heads to gaze out into the ocean. Henry had put his hands together and exhaled, and Carina looked towards him again when he heard a slight strain in his breathing.

"Anyway, how's _your_ arm feeling?" Carina asked, watching as Henry let go of his hand and started to flex the fingers in his right hand. It was a little stiff still, but nothing that time couldn't fix.

"Not so bad now, all things considered," Henry replied, "The pain's mostly stopped. Couple more weeks and it'll be good as new."

"It's remarkable how quickly it healed up," Carina commented, and Henry looked down at his forearm while nodding in agreement. The knife wound had caused him pain, but Henry was surprised that it didn't do more damage. Maybe he was just lucky.

Still, Henry couldn't shake this odd feeling he had, like something was amiss. Ever since Salazar had possessed him, he had this weird feeling that he couldn't quite describe. It wasn't anything bad or noticeable per se, but it was just... lingering.

When Carina looked away, Henry pulled back his right pocket, looking down and seeing the jewel he had taken from Poseidon's Tomb still glowing. He hadn't told anybody about it, not even Carina, and he was starting to wonder if he should at some point.

But not today. Today had far more important things going on than Henry's secret. It could wait.

The two of them stood in silence, which after a few moments was becoming a little awkward. They had so much to talk about, but neither would say a word. They just stood there, waiting for the other to break the ice.

"When Salazar took control of me," Henry began, deciding to break the silence, "I saw... things."

"What kinds of things?" Carina asked.

Henry took a deep breath, trying to figure out what he should say to her. There was no way he could possibly describe everything he had seen, and he had seen everything _._ Not just the brief glimpses of his parents' memories, but he had seen absolutely _everything_ that Salazar had seen in his entire life. His ups, his downs, the suffering, the love... it was like when they had bonded he had somehow given Henry all of his memories, and it was as if he had lead two separate lives. Everything Salazar had felt, Henry had felt too.

"He was suffering, Carina," Henry spoke, "He had been through more pain than any man should have to endure."

He thought back not only to when he had died and was left cursed by the Devil's Triangle, but the memory of his family and never being able to see them again. In a way, Henry sympathized with Salazar, because he knew what it was like to have something keep separated from your loved ones. But not to the extent of which Salazar had suffered, not knowing what had become of his wife and sons.

"The _Silent Mary_ wasn't just the name of his ship," Henry said, taking another deep breath, "I... I think I want to sail for Spain. One day."

Carina placed a hand against Henry's arm, listening to him lament on Salazar. She could tell by the inflection in his voice that he was being sincere about his pain. Carina hated that Spanish bastard with all her heart for the role he played in her father's death, but nevertheless took pity for Henry's sake. Besides, the idea of Salazar's suffering helped ease her conscience about her becoming a murderer.

But if she had the chance, she would do it all again.

Henry looked over towards Carina, who was facing out towards the sea. All at once, that feeling struck him again. Something within him stirred at the sight of her, something that had been present throughout the week he had known her. Now that everything had more or less settled down, with the Trident and Salazar both gone, Henry took a moment to think about what this was. Jack had said that he had the unscratchable itch, and was beginning to wonder if that was true. Carina was intelligent and beautiful, and if it hadn't been for her he would have been dead on multiple occasions.

Damn it, he was smitten with her.

"Hey," Henry spoke up, and Carina turned to face him. Henry doesn't know what compelled him, but he suddenly started to lean forward towards her face.

Before his lips could make contact with hers, Carina raised her hand and smacked Henry's face away from her.

Leaning back and rubbing his left cheek, a stunned Henry asked, "What was _that_ all about?"

"Just checking that it's truly you," Carina replied with a smirk, "that you're not still a ghost."

Henry's confusion turned to amusement. He could now see the playful, deceptive nature of Jack in her, and he found himself wondering why he didn't notice it before.

"It's me," Henry told her with a laugh, and Carina laughed in response.

"Well, then I was-" Carina began, but Henry cut her off and finished with "Wrong. That's a first."

Carina laughed some more, and then she said, "Hey, I accepted the existence of the supernatural, didn't I?"

"I didn't hear you make any apologies for it," Henry smirked.

"Well, I wasn't exactly _wrong,_ just... slightly in error. There's a difference," Carina finished, and Henry laughed again.

Carina studied Henry for a moment, and she realized that there was a certain charm to him that was infectious to her. She hardly had time to notice what with what they had both been dealing with, but now that they had time she could finally see Henry for who he was. He was caring, kind, and brave, noble traits that made him very... desirable. Upon examining her own thoughts, Carina was flustered at what she thought she was feeling. It was clear to her that Henry cared about her, but it wasn't until just now that Carina came to recognize that she might just care about him too.

The two of them started to lean closer to each other, their breath picking up as they drew nearer and their eyes shut. Without wasting another moment, their lips met.

The kiss was passionate, but slow but gentle. Henry placed his left arm on the small of her back, while Carina brought her hand up to the side of his face. In that moment, it felt right to them. Like it was meant to be.

After another few moments of kissing, the two broke away, slowly exhaling as they placed their foreheads against each other.

"Apology accepted," Henry joked, causing Carina to laugh.

"So, we're really doing this, huh?" Carina asked, opening her eyes to look at Henry.

"I guess we are," Henry answered her with a smile, pulling his head back away from hers. They smiled at each other, and then Henry realized what he was missing out on. He had been so caught up in trying away to free his father from his curse for so many years that he scarcely had time to think for himself. Jack was right, he had to live for himself too.

Carina suddenly gave him a half-smirk, and replied, "Indeed, Mr. Turner. Although..."

She paused and placed a hand on his chest.

"... I'm not sure if I am so inclined to initiate a romantic relationship with a eunuch," Carina teased, causing Henry to stammer.

"I- er- _what?"_ Henry asked her, "Who told you that?"

"Ah, so it _is_ true!" Carina had a devilish look upon her face as she said it.

"What? No, I'm not a eunuch!" Henry tried to retort, flabbergasted, to which Carina just laughed at his embarrassment.

"It's nothing to be ashamed with," Carina continued to tease, "You know, in Imperial Rome, eunuchs were among the happiest and most loyal of courtiers..."

"Oh, shut up," Henry laughed, playfully pushing her shoulder. The pair of them stood there just living in the moment with smiles on their faces.

Out of the corner of his eye, Henry thought he saw something, and so he turned his head towards the ocean and he saw a ship sailing into the bay. While Carina turned to face the ship as well, Henry reached inside his jacket and pulled out a spyglass, pointing it in the direction of the newly-arrived ship.

"The _Dutchman,"_ Henry remarked, recognizing the ship's unique design. But it looked different, somehow. The sails were no longer adorned with seaweed, but instead were clean and white as the clouds in the sky. The hull looked fully-formed and the wood looked as fresh as it could be.

The curse had been lifted from the haunted ship.

Henry thought he saw movement in the bottom part of his viewing lens, and he moved it down to see what it was. When the object came into focus, Henry's jaw dropped at what he saw.

His father was walking towards them.

The crustaceans that had built up on his face for so many years were now gone, and his naturally handsome features were no longer obscured. He was now walking on land, the first time he had done so for nearly ten years.

Will Turner was finally free.

Henry lowered his spyglass down, letting it drop into the grass by his side. He couldn't believe his eyes. His father was free from his curse, free to live as a mortal man once more.

Henry looked towards Carina with the most excited expression upon his face, to which Carina looked at him with a smile and nudged her head towards his father and said, "Well, go on then."

Henry smiled, and then looked back towards Will. Without another moment's hesitation, Henry stepped forward and walked through the tall grass towards his father.

Will had a look on his face that showed surprise and joy, and it remained that way as he walked closer to his son. Eventually, the two had gotten close enough to each other they stopped in place, staring at the other.

"Henry," Will spoke, his voice less hoarse than it had been before, still not believing what was going on nor that he was in the presence of his son once more. Henry continued to look at him with an overjoyed expression and replied, "Yes, father."

Will looked like he was about to break down in front of his son, and he leaned in and wrapped Henry in a tight embrace.

"My boy... my brave boy..." Will spoke gently, patting Henry's back, "Thank you for never forgetting about me."

"And I never will," Henry told him, his head pressed against his father's shoulder. He had waited so long for this day to come, and now it was finally here. Will was no longer bound to the _Dutchman._ He could come home.

Will pulled away from the embrace, and he put a hand around Henry's cheek while he surveyed him from top to bottom.

"Let me look at you, son," Will requested, and Henry laughed as he obliged him. Placing his hand on his son's shoulder, Will said, "God, you're all grown up now."

"You're here now," Henry said, "That's all that matters."

Will and Henry laughed for a brief moment, the both of them still amazed that this was happening right now.

"How did you do it?" Will asked, looping his arm around his son's shoulders as he started to walk up the hill. Henry wrapped his arm around his father's shoulders, and then Will continued, "How did you break the curse?"

"Let me tell you a tale," Henry said, still arm-in-arm with his father, "A tale of the greatest treasure known to man."

"That's a tale I want to hear," Will replied with a laugh, and Henry did the same.

As their grip on each other's shoulders loosened, father and son stopped walking when they saw something come into view just at the top of the hill in the direction of the tropical forest.

Her hair was long and golden, her complexion perfect beyond all compare. The years had been kind to an angelic creature like her. She was wearing a beautiful gown that she held up at the front and she rushed quickly up the hill, and she was more radiant in Will's eyes than any sunset ever would be. He had loved her since the day he had been rescued all those years ago, and that love for her was as strong now as it ever had been.

"Elizabeth..." Will lets her name escape from his lips, a gentle whisper as though anything louder would cause his voice to break. He pulled the green bandana off of his forehead, letting the evening wind blow his long, dark hair as he looked upon his wife again.

Elizabeth's lip began to tremble at the sight of her husband, whom she had seen only once in twenty years. She could not believe this was happening. Surely this had to be a beautiful, perfect dream, one that she prayed she did not have to wake up from as she did so many others.

But it was real. Will was free.

Dropping the bandana from his grasp, Will started to walk towards Elizabeth, picking up speed with every step he took towards his beloved. Elizabeth did the same, and she was practically running in the dress she was in towards Will.

"ELIZABETH!" Will shouted excitedly as he sprinted towards his wife, overcome with pure joy at the sight of her.

"WILL!" Elizabeth called out, beaming and showing off her perfect, white teeth as she drew nearer to her long-lost husband.

At long last, Will and Elizabeth stopped rushing towards each other and grabbed each other in a tight embrace. They held onto each other for a long while, trying to make up for all the years that they spent apart. This was the happiest they had ever felt in their whole lives.

"You're back!" Elizabeth exclaimed, trembling at the feeling of her husband's embrace.

"And I'm back for good," Will said, pulling his head back to look at Elizabeth in her soft eyes.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked him, to which Will pulled away from his wife's embrace and took hold of her hand, placing it over his chest.

"Feel my heart," Will spoke in a low voice, and Elizabeth couldn't believe it when she felt his heart beating inside his chest. Incredulous, she pulled back Will's red shirt to see the scarring over where his heart had been cut out all those years ago. Somehow, his heart was no longer resting inside the Dead Man's Chest but was now beating inside him, proving to her that he was mortal once more.

"It beats for you," Will told her, "It's always been for you."

Elizabeth looked up into Will's eyes in shock, realizing now that he was free from the _Dutchman's_ curse.

_"How?"_ Elizabeth asked, caressing her husband's now-smooth face. Will smiled as he brought a hand up to hold onto the one stroking him.

"Henry," Will answered, "He saved me. Our son _saved_ me, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's lip started trembling again, and tears welled up in her eyes as her face broke out into a wide smile. She was so proud of her son in that moment, going above and beyond to secure his father's freedom. Now they could be a true family, something they all had wanted from the very beginning.

"I love you, Will Turner," Elizabeth told her husband.

"I love you, Elizabeth Swann," Will answered, and the two leaned in and started kissing each other passionately, wrapping their arms around each other once more.

Henry watched on as his parents were reunited with the biggest smile imaginable. He had been waiting for this day for a long time, but he knew that his mother had been waiting even longer for his father to return. He couldn't even begin to describe how jovial he was feeling at that moment at the mere sight of them being happy after so many years of hardship and separation.

Henry felt an arm being placed on his shoulder, and he turned his head to see Carina standing alongside him.

"Hey," Carina told him, smiling, "Go be with your family now, Mr. Turner."

Henry brought his hand up and patted the back of Carina's palm, smiling at her while he did so. Without another word, Henry looked towards his parents again and started to walk towards them.

"Mother, father," Henry said as he came near them.

Will and Elizabeth broke away from their kiss to see their son coming towards them, and Elizabeth called out, "Henry!"

"Come here, son," Will spoke, holding his arm open ready to pull him into an embrace. Henry accepted, and the Turners were soon consumed in a massive hug, the realization setting in that their family was whole once more and could never be broken.

Carina watched on from the sidelines, happy that Henry had finally reunited his family. She was glad to see them all content to be in each others' loving embrace, and why shouldn't she be? They had been through a lot. They deserved their happy ending.

But at that moment, Carina realized that she would never have this. The smile quickly disappeared from her face, and she couldn't bear the thought that this was something she would never be able to experience ever again.

Having a family.

Her mother and father were now both gone. Her mother had died of illness when she was a teenager, and she had watched as her father sacrificed himself to save her life.

Carina would never get her happy ending. But Henry had gotten his.

She had to look away from the Turners, the sight of their complete and whole family making her feel sick to her stomach. Carina was still happy for Henry; he had gotten everything he always wanted. But now, she had nothing.

She was alone. Again.

Looking back towards the ocean, she saw that the _Dutchman_ had docked itself near the _Pearl,_ and noticed that the crews from both ships were starting to walk up the hill. Barbossa, Gibbs, and Bootstrap Bill were at the front, while the pirates of the _Pearl_ and the newly-liberated _Dutchman_ crew followed behind them.

The Turners broke away from their reunion to see the crews slowly coming up the hills, solemn expressions on all of their faces. Will and Elizabeth were confused as to why they all looked so glum, but Henry knew the truth, and soon they would too.

They had gotten close enough now that Will spoke up and said, "Captain Barbossa."

"Captain Turner," Barbossa replied, his voice solemn as he leaned on his cane and the now-mortal Jack the Monkey rested on his shoulder, "Mrs. Turner."

Barbossa reached up and took his wide-brimmed hat off of his head, holding it over his chest as he continued to look solemnly at the Turner family.

Bootstrap Bill came up alongside, taking his own hat off. He gave a half-smile at the sight of his grandson, and said, "Hello, Henry. Nice to see you again."

"You as well, grandfather," Henry replied, recognizing the solemnity of the moment.

Gibbs came up forward, his usual cheery demeanor replaced with a deep look of sorrow.

"Will, Miss Elizabeth," he remarked, hands held in front of him.

As more pirates came forward and took their hats off, mournful expressions on all their faces, Will and Elizabeth were getting more concerned by the moment with their behavior. What was going on?

But it was then that Will realized that something was terribly wrong.

"Where's Jack?" Will asked, dreading the answer.

None needed to be spoken.

Elizabeth cupped her hands over her mouth. Will stood there looking incredulous at Barbossa, hoping that it had to have been some kind of mistake.

"No..." Will spoke, "No... it's not possible."

"I'm sorry," Barbossa uttered, and Will was shocked beyond belief. There was no way that it could possibly be true. Jack couldn't be gone. He had escaped the clutches of death before, he most certainly could do it again.

"Oh God. Jack..." Will let out a somber voice, his joy of having being reunited with his wife and son crushed by the weight of hearing of what had become of his closest friend.

"There must be something we can do, is there?" Elizabeth worriedly asked Barbossa, "We saved him before, didn't we?"

"Aye, but where he be goin' we cannot go," Barbossa remarked, and with that, Elizabeth buried her head in her husband's shoulder, and Will wrapped his arms around his wife doing his best to console her. Will was still trying to process what had just happened. He still couldn't believe it. Jack Sparrow couldn't be dead.

"He went on his own terms, that he did," Barbossa remarked, placing his hat back atop his head, "A pirate 'till the very end."

With that, the rest of the crews placed their hats atop their heads and started to walk forward. Owing to the solemnity of the occasion, Will and Elizabeth led the pirates up to their cottage so that they could properly mourn.

Henry remained where he was, waiting for everyone to leave before following behind them. Once they all started to walk towards the cottage, Henry saw Carina standing by herself, her head drooped down while facing the direction of the sea.

"Carina," Henry spoke, causing Carina to lift her head and turn around to face him. Henry then extended his hand forward and gently said, "Come on."

Carina, still grieving from the loss, walked towards Henry after a moment of hesitation and took his hand. They then continued to walk hand-in-hand towards the cottage while the sun lowered itself into the endless sea.

* * *

Even though the cottage was of modest size, the dining area was large enough to accommodate for the number of men of both the _Pearl_ and the _Dutchman's_ crews. Will and Elizabeth needn't worry about providing for their guests; they had brought plenty of rum from the ships for this.

As day turned into night, the pirates were gathered around the dining room table, drinking and conversing with one another. Some were recounting the events of the battle with the _Silent Mary_ and the Royal Navy, others were reminiscing on their lives as pirates and all the adventures they had been on, and some were just passing the time either with pleasant little conversations or remembrance of the fallen captain.

It seemed as if Jack had an impact in everyone's life at one point or another.

Henry was over with his mother, father, and grandfather, telling them the story of his quest to find the Trident of Poseidon, from the Devil's Triangle to Poseidon's Tomb and everything in-between.

Pintel and Ragetti were having a quiet argument with Murtogg and Mullroy about who performed the most courageously under fire when they were surrounded by British ships.

Marty and Cotton had clinked their cups together and drank down their rum. Cotton's parrot squawked, and Marty refilled Cotton's glass for him. He then raised his cup up to the bird perched on his shoulder, and the parrot dipped its beak inside. Marty and Cotton chuckled at the sight.

Gibbs was sitting by himself in a chair in a corner, drinking out of his flask and looking absolutely miserable. He ran a hand down his face, still not being able to comprehend the loss. He had served by Jack's side dutifully for so many years, and now he was gone just like that. Of all the crew, Gibbs took the loss the hardest. Probably the only person in the cottage right now who felt worse than Gibbs was Carina.

Carina sat towards the end of the table next to Henry, who was adjacent to Will and Elizabeth who were at the end of the table. She looked down at her cup, watching the rum inside rest there undisturbed. She had not touched a drop, because right now she was in such grief that it barely registered to her that the cup lay in front of her. While everyone else either mourned or made merry with the time they had, Carina sat in her chair in dead silence, almost invisible to the gathering around her. She wishes that were true, that she could just disappear and not have to be around anyone right now.

_"Ahem,"_ Barbossa cleared his throat, and everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the aging pirate that was sitting at the other end of the table.

After refilling his cup, Barbossa spoke again and said, "We be gathered here tonight to acknowledge... a really terrible loss."

Barbossa knew that was an understatement.

"Jack Sparrow was a rare sort, uncommon amongst all pirates," Barbossa continued, "While we all sought gold and plunder, Jack always looked ahead to the next adventure up in the distance. He knew, as well as any of us do, what it meant to be a pirate. To be free. But what made him stand out in our lot was the way he used that freedom. He cared not for sacking towns or accruing wealth, but for an idea that extends beyond this cruel, mortal life in which we live in. He always knew that there would be something more to look forward to, something beyond the edges of the map, in which we all hope to achieve."

Barbossa stood himself up, grabbed hold of his cup, and resumed his eulogy.

"He was an eccentric sort too," Barbossa continued, chuckling at the thought, "He was so silver-tongued ye'd swear he kept a Spanish dollar in his mouth."

Many of the pirates laughed at Barbossa's joke, knowing his words to be true. But at the same time, they came to see that they'd never get to hear his witty mannerisms and quips ever again.

"And he was clever to boot," Barbossa pointed out, "I didn't think it was possible to use a single cannon to propel yerself from one ship to another _and_ disable an enemy ship at the same time."

More of the pirates laughed, and even Will had to at that one. He remembered Jack's escape from the _HMS Endeavour,_ watching him fly through the air and fall onto the deck of the _Pearl,_ meanwhile destroying the _Endeavour's_ main mast so they couldn't pursue.

"Aye, yes," Barbossa smiled, remembering all the times Jack would use his wits to get out of sticky situations, "Jack was one of a kind. There'll never be another pirate - nay, another _man -_ like Jack in our lifetimes. Maybe even beyond."

The pirates became quiet once more as Barbossa paused.

"He was a better man than many of us," Barbossa continued, his tone becoming somber once more, "Certainly a better man than I'll ever be. He died still believing in the idea of a pirate living prosperous and free, unshackled from the tethers of the empires of the world."

He looked over towards Carina, who was still staring down at her drink. He couldn't imagine the grief she must be feeling right now.

"He died... protecting what he loved most," Barbossa spoke cryptically. It was enough to get the point across to everyone else, but it was subtly directed at Carina herself. Evidently, his plan worked, for she started to look up towards him with tears in her eyes.

Barbossa raised his cup on high, and he said, "To Captain Jack Sparrow."

Gibbs looked on and was the next to stand. Holding out his flask, he and Barbossa looked towards each other as he said, "Aye. To Captain Jack Sparrow."

Soon after, the pirates gathered around the table began to stand up from their seats, raising their glasses. Will, Elizabeth, Bootstrap Bill, and Henry all stood up with their own cups raised. Everyone was standing except for Carina.

" _CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!"_ the standing crowd chanted loudly, holding out their cups for a brief moment of silence. After they were patient for long enough, everyone standing downed their drinks, and placed their empty cups and glasses upon the table.

As soon as everyone sat back down, they went back to their small talk between each other. As Henry poured himself another cup of rum, he looked over at Carina and saw that she still hadn't touched her drink. Then, suddenly, without any warning, she stood up from her chair, picked up her cup, and walked away from the table. Henry watched as she walked towards the doors leading to the seaside balcony, not knowing what he could do at that moment.

Carina opened the pair of doors that led onto the balcony, and slowly walked towards the railing overlooking the rocky cliffside and the beaches below. To her left was the lighthouse on the property, and there was a brilliant flame alit at the top of the tower. She leaned against the railing, holding her drink in her hands as she observed the black ocean in front of her.

The tears started back up again.

As she stared off into the black nothingness of the night, Carina allowed herself to think. Everything had happened so fast she didn't know how to process any of it. She had gone from being the happiest she had ever been to the worst she had felt in her entire life all in a short span of time.

She had found her father, and now he was gone.

And Carina, for all her brains and schooling, could not understand anything.

When her mother got sick, Carina was afraid of being alone. Her mother was still young, and life had dealt her a terrible hand. But she had assured her daughter that, even in death, she would always be with her, as would her father.

But her father was alive. Somehow, despite being told from childhood that her father died at sea, he was alive. Moreover, he was a notorious pirate. Did her mother know and never told her who he really was? Or did she truly believe he was dead, and did not know that her husband was still alive? And if she didn't know, why had her father left and turned to piracy?

Carina couldn't get the answers to her questions now. Her mother and father were dead, and all she was left with were the memories of who they were.

She was alone.

Raising her cup to her lips, Carina drank the rum in one gulp and then tossed it aside onto the balcony floor. She felt the alcohol burn the back of her throat as she looked bitterly at the sea.

She decided that the universe had a cruel sense of humor. Her father was taken away from her before she was even born, and thus Carina never got to know what a father's love felt like. Growing up, she built this perfect image of Jonathan Smyth in her mind, that he was an infallible, honest sailor who had died in search of the Trident of Poseidon. And then life threw her off course the day Jack Sparrow showed up in her life at absolute random, drunk and pitiful. Carina had hated him to begin with, not being able to stand the sight of him or his ridiculous antics and making no secret about not trusting him.

And then at the very end, just as they started to warm up to each other, she learned he was her father.

That she carried the blood of a pirate.

And he died not too many moments after that.

None of it was fair.

As Carina continued to grieve, Henry looked on as he leaned against the doorframe. Sighing, he decided to go and talk to her to see if he could help, but before he could take a step forward he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

Henry craned his neck to see who had touched him, and saw his father standing there, and he asked, "May I?"

"Of course, father," Henry replied, and Will took his hand off his shoulder and started walking towards Carina. Henry thought it was best he give the two of them some privacy, so he went back inside to join his mother and the rest of the gathering.

Will placed his hands on the rail to Carina's right, facing out into the sea while thinking of something to say to her. Truthfully, he was hoping that she would speak first, because Will had no idea what he could say to help console her.

Turning to look at her, Will decided he was at least going to try.

"Hello, Carina," Will said, and Carina faced him, tears still rolling down her face.

Carina remained silent, leaving Will to improvise on what he should say. He had never spoken to her before now.

"You don't know me, and I don't know you either," Will said, deciding on the blunt approach, "So I'm not going to dance around with half-truths and empty phrases to try to cheer you up."

Carina looked confused as to what his intentions were, and Will noticed this, adding, "Please don't take this the wrong way, though. Henry told me about you, how you're a very fact-focused person and how much you value the truth. He also told me about..."

Will paused for a moment.

"... about who Jack was to you," he finished. Swallowing, Will elaborated with, "So, you deserve the truth. Nothing more, nothing less."

"What is the truth, then?" Carina asked him.

Taking a deep breath, Will said, "The first time I had met him, I saw the tip of his sword before I even saw his face. I thought him to be the most immoral person I'd ever met. He lied to me, betrayed me, used me for his own gain - time and time again - and did so with everyone else in his life. He drank more than should be humanly possible, ran up debts with every cutthroat from here to Singapore, and was an absolute pain in my arse. He was, without doubt, the worst pirate I had ever met."

Carina was expecting Will to be honest, but she hadn't anticipated on him being so harsh with her. She turned her head away from the elder Turner, and Will saw that he had went too far. But then again, he hadn't finished yet.

"But..." Will began again, placing his hand upon Carina's shoulder, who in turn slowly moved to meet his gaze, "... he was also, without doubt, the bravest man I have ever known."

Carina was confused at his words, and Will knew she was. But he had to say what he said in that way so she could know he was being sincere with her.

"He saved my life. More than once actually," Will continued, "No matter how many times I found him to be so reprehensible and selfish, he found a way to turn things around and do what was right in the end. I could always count on him to come around when all hope seemed lost, and he came through every time.

"When I was dying, Jack had a chance to make himself live forever. In the time I knew him, it was what he had always wanted. But he sacrificed it to save _me,_ Carina," Will stressed on that point, "I became cursed to the _Dutchman_ only because he saved me from death. Because of him, I'm alive now. Because of him, I can now be with my wife and son."

Will paused for a moment and looked back into the dining room, seeing Henry and Elizabeth holding onto each other and providing comfort. He smiled at the sight of his family, comforted at the truth that his nightmare was now over and he could grow old with those he loved.

Turning back to face Carina, Will said, "I owe your father a debt I will never be able to repay. And I owe you a debt for helping to find the Trident so I could be free. So if you ever need anything from us, anything at all, my door will always be open to you."

Carina was at a loss for words. Just seeing his gratitude for everything her father had done was enough to alleviate some of her pain. She attempted a weak smile, and then said, "Thank you, Captain Turner."

"No," Will said, "Thank you."

Will patted her shoulder gently, and then said, "Your father was a good man, and don't you ever forget that. I just want you to understand that he gave you a chance to be free, just as he did me."

With that, Will took his hand off her shoulder, gave Carina a gentle smile, and walked back into the cottage to join with his wife and son.

As she watched him walk away, Carina reflected on what Will had said to her. That her father had given her a chance to be free.

Free for what?

But then, she thought back to what Jack had told her on the island, about what it meant to be free. Ever since she was a little girl, Carina had been striving for freedom beyond what she was expected to do in life. That's why she wanted to become an astronomer, to be as liberated as the stars in the night sky. She wanted to subvert the social norms so she could live the way she wanted to live.

Jack had given her freedom. It was up to Carina now to decide what she wanted to do with it.

Slowly, Carina reached inside her dress and pulled out Jack's compass, remembering she still had it from when he had given it to her. Using her thumb, she wiped some of the grime on top of the lid, and stared down at the unique device.

This compass pointed to whatever the holder wanted most.

_I want to be free._

Holding it carefully in her hands, Carina gently lifted up the lid of the compass and saw the needle pointing in a northeastern direction. Reorienting herself, Carina turned to her right until the needle was pointing North. She looked up, wondering what she would find.

It was pointing at the _Black Pearl._

Carina looked at the blackened pirate ship, stunned at what she had just discovered. Her heart's deepest desires were something she didn't know she even wanted. Her breath picked up, realizing what this meant for her.

She wanted to be a pirate.

Carina couldn't believe her own thoughts, but the truth was right before her. All along, she desired freedom, and that freedom was docked at the pier not far from where she was standing now. She remembered the exhilaration she felt piloting the ship, remembering just how natural the smooth wood of the wheel felt between her fingers. She had been terrified at the time, but the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins had been one of the most amazing sensations she had ever felt. She loved adventure and never even realized it, and she found herself eager to be out on the sea once more.

Pirate was in Carina's blood, after all.

She smiled, taking in the sight of the hauntingly beautiful vessel that had belonged to her father. This is how she would honor him. She would follow in his footsteps and continue his legacy by joining the crew of his beloved _Pearl._

And it wasn't just for Jack. It was for her. This was what she wanted most.

And Carina was prepared to take it all for everything it was worth.

* * *

_Jack stood at the bow of the Wicked Wench, looking onto the landmass ahead of him. He recognized this particular spot, having been here once many months ago._

_The day he made the choice to do the right thing, and lost everything in the process._

_He was still unclean and unshaven, but he had managed to find some clothing that would suffice for the time being. He had a blue bandana wrapped around his forehead, keeping his long, unkempt hair out of his face. He hoped he was remembering the coordinates correctly, because if he couldn't remember where he was going then that proved to him that he was completely mad._

_Jack hoped he was mad. That all of this was a bad dream and he would wake up sooner or later. And he'd see Maggie again._

_"Captain," a voice spoke up, and Jack looked over his shoulder to see that it was Koehler who addressed him. He had stopped by Tortuga and picked up a modest-sized crew, recognizing that his options were limited and he couldn't go back to the Navy._

_Silently, he damned Cutler Beckett's soul to the deepest circle of Hell._

_"Draw canvass and let go of the anchor, Mr. Koehler," Jack told him. Koehler then turned to face the rest of the crew and relayed the order, saying "Draw canvass and drop anchor!"_

_"Aye, aye!" the crew replied, and at once they pulled the sails back and dropped anchor near the shoreline._

_"Mr. Twigg," Jack addressed another member of his crew, "Ready a boat. I'm going ashore and I should be back before nightfall."_

_"Very well, sir," Twigg replied, "If the worst should happen and you're not back, shall we keep to the Code?"_

_"Code?" Jack asked, confused._

_"The Pirate's Code, sir," Twigg answered, giving his captain a funny look._

_"Oh, yes... that," Jack replied, thinking on it for a moment. He was still having difficulty adjusting to the fact that this was his life now, "Keep to the Code."_

_In a few more moments, Jack's boat was ready and he climbed in. His crew lowered him down, and Jack began to row his way inland, moving across the river that flowed into the rainforest. Rowing for a considerable amount of time, Jack stopped when he came across a familiar wooden shack concealed deep within the swamp._

_Getting out of the boat, Jack walked over towards the shack, taking a deep breath before he stepped inside._

_Opening the door, he saw Tia Dalma sitting at her table, hunched over an assortment of voodoo relics she was studying. At the sound of the door opening, Tia Dalma looked up and saw Jack standing in the doorway._

_"Wicked Jack came back," Tia Dalma said, a smile creeping up on her face._

_"Tia Dalma," Jack addressed her, keeping his calm this time. At this point, nothing that she could do would surprise him, given everything that had happened._

_"What brings you back to my humble abode?" Tia Dalma asked him playfully._

_"What has become of the people I liberated?" Jack asked of her._

_"They live here, under my care," Tia Dalma answered him, "I must admit, it is nice to have company for a change."_

_"Good," Jack replied solemnly, facing away from her._

_"You do not look too pleased," Tia Dalma stated, observing Jack's mannerisms, "Do you regret what it is you have done?"_

_"No, I-" Jack began, but the moment he started speaking he realized his words tasted a lie. Of course he regretted it. If he hadn't done what he had done, he could've been home caring for Maggie while she had fever. If he had been home, she need not have died._

_"I do," Jack told her sternly, and Tia Dalma looked surprised._

_"But... it was the right thing to do was it not?" Tia Dalma asked him, and to Jack's ears it sounded like she was speaking to him like he were a child._

_"Yes it was," Jack explained, "And it cost me everything."_

_"Sometimes, that's what happens to heroes," Tia Dalma told him, getting up out of her chair and slowly walking around her table._

_"Well, I'm done being the hero," Jack vowed to her, "Doing what's right has brought me nothing but pain."_

_Tia Dalma looked down towards the floor and nodded her head, "Yes... yes it has... many a man have felt the way you do, feeling that they have nothing left to live for, not caring what small, fleeting joy that life is...'_

_Jack thought he heard a trembling in her voice when she said that last bit. In the time he had known her, this was the first time she had seen her uncertain about something._

_"You lost someone," Jack said. It wasn't a question._

_"Lost indeed..." Tia Dalma lamented, and her mind went back to the sailor she had loved once, who locked his heart away from the world after feeling betrayed by her._

_"... but you did not come here to listen to me grovel about the past, did you, Captain Smyth?" Tia Dalma quickly regained her composure and asking of him, "You need something from me."_

_"My name is not Smyth," Jack answered, "That's the name of a dead man. He died not long after his wife."_

_"Then who are you, then?" Tia Dalma asked him, to which Jack sighed and replied, "... I don't know."_

_"Whoever you are now, you need my help, yes?" Tia Dalma guessed._

_"I do," Jack answered, "I need to find... no, that's not it... I want... no, no..."_

_Jack took a deep breath and collected his thoughts._

_"I need a locater," Jack requested._

_"A locater?" Tia Dalma parroted._

_"A locater, yes," Jack repeated, "Something to help me find a place that I can't."_

_Tia Dalma's face slowly twisted into a wicked grin, and she said, "I have just the thing. Wait here a moment."_

_She walked past the beads hanging over the doorway which let into her backroom, and started to rifle through an odd assortment of magical items until she found what she was looking for. While she was digging through, she stopped when she came across a leather-bound book with the ruby on the front cover. Something she had retrieved from the bottom of the sea._

_The witch smiled as she held Galileo's diary, knowing that Jack didn't know she had the book. Being the sneaky and manipulative being she was, she snapped her fingers, and the book dematerialized from her hands. If her magic was right, it would appear back inside the London household of one Jonathan Smyth, and be in the possession of his still-living wife and their unborn child._

_One day he would be back with them. Once he had done everything he was destined to do. It might take decades, but it is what the gods willed would happen. Jack still his part to play in their mysterious, catastrophic plan._

_Turning her attention back to the task before her, Tia Dalma finally found what she was looking for. A compass, one that she had been saving for centuries for this very moment._

_With the compass in hand, Tia Dalma walked back into the main room of her shack and saw Jack standing there patiently._

_"I think..." she dangled the compass from the string looped around it, "... I have what you be looking for."_

_"What is it?" Jack asked, staring at the peculiar device._

_"This compass does not point North, nor will it ever," Tia Dalma explained, "Instead, it will point you towards what you want most in this world."_

_Jack reached out to take the compass, but Tia Dalma reeled her arm back before he could claim it._

_"But..." she continued sharply, "beware, for this compass comes with a price."_

_"How much, then?" Jack asked, to which Tia Dalma laughed at him, "Nothing so trite as gold is worth what this compass is. It requires... more."_

_"Which is?" Jack inquired, and Tia Dalma replied, "It will help you to find what it is you want most. Betray it, and it will release what you fear most. But the true cost of this compass is that it will keep you away from that which you love most. That is the price that must be payed."_

_"Alright then," Jack replied simply, "Doesn't matter to me anyway. What I love most in this world is gone."_

_Jack reached forward and took the compass, Tia Dalma making no effort to stop him._

_"One more thing," Tia Dalma continued, "While it will keep you away from that which you love most, the compass comes with the promise that what you love most will find you. One day."_

_Jack looked confused, but decided not to argue with what she was saying. Looking at the compass, he knew he could live with the consequences of this. Hell, he had already considered the consequences when he made his deal with Jones to raise his ship from the depths._

_"You've shown me great kindness, Tia Dalma," Jack looked up at her, "Thank you."_

_"Don't," Tia Dalma replied with a grin. Suddenly, without any provocation or warning, she leaned in, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him._

_Jack's eyes widened in shock while she continued to kiss him. This was rather unexpected and he didn't know how he should feel right now._

_When Tia Dalma broke away, she still had the same wicked grin on her face, to which Jack looked at her awkwardly and said, "Alright, that was weird. I suppose I should be going now. My crew are expecting me back before nightfall."_

_"Stay," Tia Dalma requested of him, taking his hand in her own. Jack was so utterly confused by what was going on, and he wasn't sure he was entirely comfortable by what she was suggesting._

_But then he realized there was nothing stopping him. He was no longer a married man, so this wouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't love, because any and all feelings of love died the day that Jonathan Smyth did as well._

_"Although..." Jack began, "I could be tempted to stay for perhaps a little while longer..."_

_"That is what I like to hear," Tia Dalma kept on smiling, which was disconcerting to Jack but he didn't really much care at this point._

_"Eh, what the hell?"_ _Jack remarked, and then he leaned in and started to kiss Tia Dalma intensely. It was then that Jack realized this is how he would be living his life from now on. No worries or cares or obligations to anyone or anything. From now on, the only person he would look out for was himself._

_A few hours later, after Jack and Tia Dalma both got what they wanted, Jack walked out of the hut clean-shaven and with his mangy hair braided into dreadlocks, deciding to take fashion advice from the witch in whose company he was in. Tia Dalma decided to accompany him back to the Wench, and they rowed their way out towards the point where the river met the sea._

_"I suppose this is where we part ways once more, Jack," Tia Dalma remarked._

_"Indeed, love," Jack flashed a grin at her, "I'll be back around at one point or another."_

_"I look forward to it. And I must say," Tia Dalma began, "You have a magnificent vessel there, Captain."_

_Jack turned around and looked at the Wench, saying, "Yes, she is."_

_"You know, you should think about giving your ship a new name," Tia Dalma suggested._

_"How do you reckon?" Jack asked._

_"It should be one that reflects how she looks... maybe add a... a personal touch. Really make her your own," Tia Dalma said._

_Jack couldn't help but agree with her. The HMS Wicked Wench was the name of a British trading ship, one which was supposed to be lying at the bottom of the sea. Jack supposed that if he were to move on with his life, he should give her a new name as well._

_Turning to face Tia Dalma again, he said, "I'm sure I'll think of something, savvy?"_

_"Good," Tia Dalma smiled, stepping out of the boat onto the sandy shores of the island._

_"Farewell, Jack," she called out to him, "I hope you find what you're looking for."_

_"As do I," Jack called back to her, "As do I."_

_Once he had rowed back to the ship and the boat was stored away, Jack made his way to the ship's wheel and opened his newly-acquired compass._

_If Tia Dalma was being honest with him, he saw where what he wanted most was._

_Closing the compass' lid, Jack turned the wheel hard to port and gave the order to loosen the sails. While sailing towards his desired heading, he gave pause to what Tia Dalma had said, about giving his ship a new name, a personal touch to make it his own._

_Jack smiled when he thought up of a perfect name._

_The Black Pearl._

_After many days aboard his newly-christened ship, Jack had arrived with his crew to the one place he was searching for. It was not recorded on any map, so it was near impossible to find. He had fled from this island when he was a mere lad, and thus couldn't remember how to get back. That's why he needed the compass to find it._

_Jack had never expected to find himself returning to Shipwreck Cove._

_The name wasn't being illustrative. There had been a pirate city constructed entirely from the wrecks of ships, which were built so high up on top of each other it rivaled the buildings in London._

_Finding a free dock, the Pearl pulled into port and dropped anchor. While the crew were working to secure the ship, Jack stepped onto the pier and paid for his docking fee. After dealing with that, Jack turned to face the town so he could begin his search for what - specifically, who - he wanted._

_But the moment he did, he saw him standing there. Right at the end of the pier where the landmass of the city began. Standing at his sides were two men, one of which he recognized to be William Turner. Jack was surprised to find him here of all places; he must've turned pirate not long after helping him free those slaves. The other one he didn't recognize._

_But the man he was looking for stepped forward, holding his arms crossed in place as he observed Jack._

_All at once, Jack's blood began to boil at the mere sight of him. He started to pace forward quickly, and it became clear to the three men before him of his anger. The unfamiliar pirate rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, but the older gentleman at the center put his arm out in front of him, nonverbally warning him to stay his blade._

_Jack gritted his teeth. He had made a promise once, one he had vowed to keep. It didn't matter that he was a pirate now, he knew this had to be done._

_When he got close enough, Jack drew his pistol from his belt and aimed it at the man's forehead, thumbing back the hammer. The man did not flinch or panic._

_"Do nothing, either of you," he told the men at his side, "He's my son."_

_Jack's anger did not go away as he continued aiming his pistol at his father's skull. He had told himself if he ever saw Edward Teague again, he would take pleasure in shooting him down like the scum he was. He remembered all the neglect he had given him, leaving him alone with while he went out pirating. He despised his barbarity and how it reflected so much on him just because he was a pirate's son. Beckett never trusted him because of his pirate blood, nor did anyone else for the majority of his life. Every setback and hardship he had endured was because of him. He had lost Maggie because of him._

_But he couldn't make himself pull the trigger._

_"Jacky..." Edward looked sorrowful towards his son, "Oh, Jacky..."_

_Jack kept telling himself that he needed to do this, but he couldn't find the strength to do it._

_Looking into Edward's eyes, Jack realized that he couldn't. He couldn't kill his own father, no matter how terrible of a father he was to him._

_He lowered the gun, and Edward remained the same level of calm as he was. Slowly, he stepped forward and wrapped his son in a tight embrace._

_"You're home now, Jacky," Edward told him, "Come on now. Mum's been waiting to see you."_

_Jack remained silent as Edward put his arm over his shoulder and started to lead him inland._

_"I believe you remember ol' William Turner there," Edward began telling his son, and Jack looked up to see William following alongside, saying "Hello again, Jack."_

_"Turned pirate yourself, eh Turner?" Jack remarked, and William said, "Aye, yes. Seeing what Beckett had done to you... I'd had enough of it."_

_"Funny story how we met, actually," Edward started, "I was going to be lynched by this mob of ne'er-do-wells in Nassau, and then Mr. Turner here shoots the rope before I can be hanged. I think I bought him a cask of ale that night."_

_"More like bought one and stole the other two," William remarked, and they all laughed._

_"Good times. Also," Edward directed his attention to the other man Jack did not know, "I don't believe the two of you have met yet."_

_"Nay, we have not," the West-Country speaking pirate began, "Hector Barbossa, at your service."_

_"Pleased to meet you, Hector," Jack said, offering his hand out. Hector took it and they shook._

_"I have a feeling the two of us are going to be good friends," Jack remarked._

_"Oh, I wouldn't be countin' on that if I were ye," Hector replied._

_"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Jack quipped, and the men laughed heartily._

_"Come on, boys," Edward spoke, "Let's have ourselves a drink!"_

_Jack's demeanor quickly became more hopeful. He knew he still had things to work out with his father and with himself, but Jack had already hit rock-bottom, so there was nowhere to go but up from here._

_He didn't know what the future would bring, but what he did know is that it was a pirate's life for him now._

_Savvy?_

* * *

Morning had come, and the sun was rising over the horizon. The island of Port Charles had only just become awake, while the inhabitants of the cottage at the isolated end of the island were up and ready depart.

Some of the _Dutchman_ crew assimilated into the crew of the _Pearl._ Others went off to find their own opportunities in the local town or had sought passage for other ports like Tortuga or Nassau or the like. None of them went back to the _Dutchman;_ they had served long enough.

Barbossa had taken the crew that had remained and began to make preparations to the _Pearl_ so that she was ready to go. The only people remaining on the hillside were the Turner family and Carina, who had changed back into her pirate clothing from before. In addition, she had acquired a new cutlass which now rested in her scabbard, and she was wearing an overcoat that was a faded forest green color, the ends of which were blowing in the breeze coming in from the sea.

Carina exhaled through her nose, watching as the _Pearl_ was being made ready to depart. She was so anxious she felt her knees shaking. But she knew, in her heart, this is what she wanted for herself.

"Hey," Henry had addressed her, coming up to her side, "How're you feeling?"

"I don't know," Carina told him, "and that's the beauty of it."

Her ocean-blue eyes continued to gaze at the ship before her, and Henry saw this.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Carina?" Henry asked her, wanting to know if her mind was right in making this decision.

Carina turned to face him, and she said, "Yes, Henry. I'm sure of it. More than anything, this is what I want."

She reached a hand up to Henry's face, gently stroking his cheek.

"I have to do this," Carina proclaimed, "This isn't for my father. This is for me."

"I'm really going to miss you, Carina," Henry confessed to her. They had only known each other for a short time, but he had grown to care for her more than he imagined he would. Now it was time for them to part ways.

"I'll miss you too," Carina began, "But don't worry. We'll see each other again. One day."

"One day," Henry repeated, raising his hand up to grab her own. They leaned closer to each other kissed once more.

Will had his arm over Elizabeth's shoulder, and the both of them blushed and chuckled at the sight of their son kissing Carina. They attempted to avert their eyes, thinking that continuing to stare would only embarrass Henry.

"Heh," Bootstrap Bill chuckled, coming up closer to Will's side, "It just now occurred to me that your son is in love with Jack's daughter."

Will and Elizabeth's eyes widened at this realization, not once thinking about it like that. Their red cheeks were now a shade of crimson.

"Well, this will end horribly then," Will remarked, causing Elizabeth to laugh.

"You think?" Elizabeth added, and the three Turners laughed.

Henry and Carina's lips parted from each other, and Carina quietly whispered, "Eunuch."

Henry couldn't suppress his giggling fit, and once he'd finished, he said, "Pirate."

Carina smiled at him once more, and then addressed the rest of the Turners, saying, "Thank you all, for everything."

"Our pleasure," Will told her, "You're always welcome here."

Facing Henry again, she said, "Go be with your family now, Henry. I have to be with mine."

She backed away from Henry, her arm sliding down his until only their fingers were touching. Pulling away, she looked onto the entire Turner family, and she said, "Goodbye."

With that, Carina turned around and started walking down the hill towards the _Pearl._ Henry watched on from on top of the hill as she left them. He hoped that he would see her again soon enough.

Arriving at the dock, Carina saw that preparations were almost finished, and looked on top of the deck to see Barbossa and Gibbs conversing with each other at the helm. Gibbs noticed her out of the corner of his eye, and both he and Barbossa looked to see her coming aboard.

"Here she comes," Gibbs told him, to which Barbossa replied, "Aye."

As Carina stepped onto the _Pearl's_ deck, she saw some of the pirates look upon her as she made her way towards the helm. She would ask Barbossa if she could join the crew under his command. She would earn her keep on this ship, no matter how long it took.

Walking up the stairway to the quarter deck, Barbossa addressed Carina, saying, "Welcome aboard, Ms. Smyth."

"Captain Barbossa," Carina began, standing before the one-legged captain, "I'm ready to join your crew."

But when she said this, Barbossa merely chuckled at her, leaving Carina quite confused.

"What?" Carina asked.

"They're not my crew," Barbossa told her, "I'm not the captain of this ship."

Carina was now very confused.

"But, I thought you were a captain," Carina pressed the matter.

Barbossa sighed, and then said, "I be a captain, that be true, but I'm retiring. I've decided I've had my fill for one life. I'm surprised that I've made it as long as I have. I don't know how much longer I have left anyway."

Carina raised an eyebrow. What was going on?

"Well, if you're not the captain, then who is?" Carina asked.

Barbossa flashed his yellow, scurvy-ridden teeth at her, and Gibbs smiled as well.

It took a moment for Carina to put two and two together, and when she did she felt her heart skip a beat.

_"What!?"_ Carina asked of them, stunned. Had she read this whole thing right?

"You're the captain, Carina," Barbossa gave her a wink.

"But... but..." Carina stammered, _"How!?"_

"We took a vote before the men," Gibbs answered her, "Since Barbossa's retiring, and I lack the constitution to be captain, that leaves a vacancy of captains present, and the vote was unanimous. They want you."

Carina pondered on what Gibbs had just said. The men wanted _her._ They wanted her to take command of the ship, to hold responsibility over their lives and livelihoods.

Carina looked out onto the deck of the _Pearl,_ and saw that all eyes were upon her. Some had smiles on their faces, but all of them were looking at her with pride and patience.

But _why?_ What had she done to earn their confidence in her abilities?

Barbossa could seemingly read her mind, for the moment she questioned that he started to say, "They were mightily impressed with how ye handled yerself under fire. You may not have had all the answers, but ye trusted yer instincts and kept us all alive in the endeavor. Yer a natural-born leader, Carina."

Carina turned to face Barbossa, still not believing a word coming out of his mouth. _Her?_ A _captain?_

"I don't know the first thing about captaining a ship!" Carina protested, believing this whole thing to be ludicrous in her mind. There was no way that she was qualified to command hardened pirates.

"And why do ye think I'm still here?" Barbossa said with a grin, "I may be retiring from being a captain, but that don't mean I'm goin' to miss out on all the action now. At least until you've been trained up and are ready to command a ship on your own."

"You can still back out now if you wish, Carina," Gibbs told her, "You don't have to do this."

Carina considered it for a moment. She had wanted to join the pirate crew, but c _aptain?_ That was a whole level she didn't think she was prepared for. Despite Barbossa's promises of training, she didn't believe she could do it. It was a responsibility of which she hadn't a clue of understanding. The weight of this role would probably be more than she could possibly handle.

But then again, she thought about it more. She was a quick learner, and she already had great navigational skills what with being an astronomer and all. And they were right about her showing courage under fire, but Carina was sure that had more to do with luck than anything else. Nevertheless, her actions had saved the crew from decimation, and she had managed to put up a hell of a fight against the well-experienced Salazar in single combat.

And then she thought about her father, who had probably captained this ship for most of his life. Placing her hand on the starboard rail, she rubbed her hand across the surface of the blackened ship, feeling the heat from the sun that it had absorbed.

This was his ship, his legacy.

And now it was hers.

Carina had made her decision.

Turning around to face Barbossa, she confidently said, "I'll do it."

Barbossa smiled once more, and then said, "Bend the knee, lass."

Carina did as requested, and she got down on her left knee, placing her palms on the other. Barbossa then drew the Sword of Triton from his scabbared and limped towards her. When he got close enough, Carina held her head down low, and Barbossa held his sword upward.

"Do ye, Carina Smyth, hereby forsake all laws of all empires?" Barbossa began, "Do ye commit to the pirate's life and every fortune, good and bad, the wind blows yer way? Do ye take it upon yerself the duty to protecting the Code of the Brethren, the crew of the _Black Pearl,_ and the freedom of mankind?"

Barbossa paused for a moment.

"Will ye serve as captain of the _Black Pearl_?" he finished, and awaited her response.

"Sparrow," Carina said.

Barbossa looked down at her, wondering what she meant.

Lifting her head, Carina smiled at him and said, "My name is Sparrow."

Barbossa returned the smile, and replied, "Very well... Captain Sparrow."

Carina held her head down again, and Barbossa tapped her shoulders with the tip of his sword, similar in the fashion to a knighting ceremony.

After christening her the _Pearl's_ new captain, Barbossa sheathed his sword and extended his arm. Carina grabbed it and he pulled her to her feet.

"Thank you," Carina told him, still holding onto his arm.

_"Ahem,"_ Gibbs interrupted, and Carina looked towards him to see what he wanted.

"A proper captain needs a hat," Gibbs said, and she saw that he was holding Jack's leather tricorn in his hands. Somehow, it had managed to survive the battle, even if its previous owner had not.

Carina took the hat from Gibbs, and held it in her hands for a moment. Looking upon it for a moment, she felt like she hadn't earned any of this. His compass, his ship, his crew, his title, and now even his hat. She walked on past Barbossa and Gibbs over to the port rail, wondering what to do now.

Seeing this hat again reminded Carina that Jack was gone, never to come back ever again. She missed him like crazy, and she was prepared to give absolutely anything for him to come back.

Lowering the hat so it was out of her field of vision, Carina looked out over the port rail to the sea in an attempt to get her mind together.

She had not accounted for seeing one of the most bizarre things to occur right at that moment.

As Carina looked down into the water, she gasped as she saw what looked like rowboats rowing across. But they weren't on the surface of the water. They were _in_ the surface. The boats were flipped upside down like they were the reflection of actual vessels on the water, only there were none. They all travelled parallel from the direction the _Pearl_ was, and Carina saw what looked like _people_ sitting in these boats.

Carina didn't know if she was hallucinating or what, but she watched as this multitude of boats continued to float off into the direction of the sunrise. What did all this mean?

As she continued to stare down at the boats, Carina noticed a larger boat sailing between them all, one of those dinghies or whatever they were called. She thought nothing of it other than that it was an odd sight among the simple rowboats at first, but her jaw dropped when she saw the figure standing at the top of the mast, holding onto the crow's nest.

It was her father.

He was standing atop of the dinghy, his hand on his hip and looking off into the distance. He had had his hat and coat on, which didn't make sense since the last time Carina saw him he was wearing neither. It was hard to make out precise details because it was a reflection in the water, but Carina could swear he looked much younger than he was.

Jack had looked down onto the bottom of the dinghy, and then swiftly descended down on some rope from the crow's nest. There was a splash from the inside that Carina saw, and she saw him moving from one end of the other inspecting the boat. Sitting down, Jack grabbed onto a bucket and, somehow, dumped water out of it. However, he suddenly stopped doing this, and then he got up quickly to his feet.

Carina could swear that he was looking at her at that very moment.

Jack took his hat off of his head and held it against his chest. As the dinghy continued to pass through the water, Jack gave a salute with his other hand in her direction, and Carina thought she detected the hint of a smile on his face. Jack placed his hat back upon his head, and the dinghy passed on, going forward until the morning light made the image fade away forever.

It was then that Carina realized what this was. These were souls who had died at sea. If the _Flying Dutchman_ was real, that meant that her father was off to Fiddler's Green.

Jack Sparrow's soul was at peace now.

As much as she wanted him back, Carina knew that he would know no more suffering. He had lived his life the best he could, and was now prepared to meet his fate in the afterlife as he drifted beyond.

_Beyond._

Carina remembered the last thing her father had said to her, right before he sacrificed himself. He told her to go beyond. She now understood what he had meant.

Carina placed Jack's tricorn upon her head, fitting it into place as she finally accepted who she was. Perhaps this is who she always was.

"Do ye have a destination in mind, Captain Sparrow?" Barbossa asked of her, Jack the Monkey climbing up onto his shoulder, and Carina looked towards the rising sun, knowing what she wanted.

She turned to face Barbossa and Gibbs, and then looked out to all the pirates on the deck. These men were under her command now.

"Gentlemen!" Carina called out to each and every one of them, and their eyes were upon her now, "Let us venture beyond the horizon!"

The crew erupted into cheers, raising their fists and their weapons up on high for their new captain. Their enthusiasm gave Carina confidence, and she felt like she could actually do this.

" _SPARROW! SPARROW! SPARROW!"_ they cheered her, and Carina couldn't help but beam at the sight of it. She looked to Barbossa who gave her a look of encouragement, and Gibbs had placed his hands on the _Pearl's_ wheel.

Looking forward, Carina walked down the port stairway as the crew continued to cheer for her. She walked by, giving grateful glances to all of them. Pintel, Ragetti, Murtogg, Mullroy, Marty, Cotton, and the rest all congratulated her as she strutted towards the bow.

Carina stopped when she got to the foremast, tightly grabbing onto one of the ropes attached at the base of it. She gave the base a swift kick, and she suddenly found herself propelled upwards. Keeping her grip tight, she let go when she had reached the top of the foremast and landed onto the topmost beam of it. Quickly, she grabbed onto some rope near the center beam held in place by block and tackle with her left hand, while simultaneously trying to keep her hat on with her right.

The crew continued to cheer her, and Barbossa drew the Sword of Triton out once more, commanding the ship to loosen the sails and let the wind carry them. After a sudden gust of wind, rocking them all for a second, the _Black Pearl_ was heading out to open sea once more.

Gaining her balance properly, Carina placed her right hand on her hip, standing atop of the _Pearl's_ mast with the wind at her back, looking towards the rising sun.

Will, Elizabeth, Bootstrap, and Henry watched as the _Pearl_ sailed off into the distance, with both pride and sorrow in their hearts as the ship left.

As one chapter closed, another was about to begin.

" _Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!"_ the crew began to sing from down below, feeling a shanty was in order for their new captain.

_"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot! Drink up me 'earties, yo-ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot! Drink up me 'earties, yo-ho!"_

Carina looked down at her crew from above, grateful that the pirates were so open and welcoming to her. Her whole life, she looked for her place in the world, and now she had finally found it.

_"Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!"_

Carina reached with her free hand towards her belt and pulled out the compass. Opening the lid, she looked down to see what it would tell her.

_"We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves! Drink up me 'earties, yo-ho! We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs! Drink up me 'earties, yo-ho!"_

Carina looked up from her compass with a smile on her face, facing towards the sunrise.

_"Yo-ho, yo-ho,"_ she started to sing along, _"A pirate's life for me."_

Carina Sparrow closed the lid of her compass, and the _Black Pearl_ continued to sail towards the horizon.

* * *

_PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES_

_Directed by Gore Verbinski_

_Story and Screenplay by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio_

_Based on Walt Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean"_

_Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer_

_Director of Photography, Dariusz Wolski_

_Production Designer, Brian Morris_

_Edited by Craig Wood & Stephen Rivkin_

_Visual Effects Supervisor, John Knoll_

_Music by Hans Zimmer and Geoff Zanelli_

_Starring_

_Johnny Depp - Jack Sparrow_

_Javier Bardem - Armando Salazar_

_Kaya Scodelario - Carina Smyth_

_Brenton Thwaites - Henry Turner_

_Kevin R. McNally - Joshamee Gibbs_

_Anthony De La Torre - Jonathan Smyth / Young Jack Sparrow_

_David Wenham - Captain Scarfield_

_Juan Carlos Vellido - Lieutenant Lesaro_

_Golshifteh Farahani - Shansa_

_With_

_Geoffrey Rush - Hector Barbossa_

_Naomie Harris - Tia Dalma_

_Tom Hollander - Cutler Beckett_

_Stellan Skarsgard - Bootstrap Bill Turner_

_Keira Knightley - Elizabeth Swann_

_and Orlando Bloom as Will Turner_

_Also Starring_

_Alexandra Daddario - Margaret "Maggie" Smyth_

_Toby Jones - Stede Bonnet_

_David Schofield - Ian Mercer_

_Stephen Graham - Scrum_

_Lee Arenberg - Pintel_

_Mackenzie Crook - Ragetti_

_Giles New - Murtogg_

_Angus Barrett - Mullroy_

_David Bailie - Cotton_

_Martin Klebba - Marty_

_Bill Skarsgard - Young Bootstrap_

_Johnny Flynn - Young Barbossa_

_Hakeem Kae-Kazim - Akinbode_

_Lewis McGowan - Young Henry_

_Ken Radley - Pig Kelly_

_Treva Etienne - Koehler_

_Michael Berry Jr. - Twigg_

_Alexander Scheer - Young Edward Teague_

_Special Appearance by Paul McCartney as Uncle Jack Teague_

_Walt Disney Pictures Presents_

_In Association with Jerry Bruckheimer Films_

_A Gore Verbinski Film_


	23. Epilogue: Dead Men Do Tell Tales

_One year later..._

* * *

Will Turner was resting peacefully in bed next to his wife, Elizabeth. Their breathing was silent and their motions were still as they slumbered in the middle of the night. The window was open to let in a gentle summer breeze earlier that evening, but as the night progressed a thunderstorm came rolling into Port Charles.

The thunderclaps were loud, but it did not disturb the married couple while they slept. They were in complete, dreamless relaxation. All they felt was the coolness of the whistling wind that blew past the curtains. Given the usual climate of island life, it was a godsend to feel air this nice.

Suddenly, the sounds of slow, heavy footsteps came from the end of the corridor just outside their bedroom. As they drew nearer, the sound became more and more audible as they impacted the wooden surface. All at once, the footsteps stopped, and an eerie silence filled the cottage as the only noise that could be heard now was the whistling wind coming in from the outside.

The doorknob began to turn slowly. The door to their room started to creak open, casting light from the lamps that lit the hallway. The light shined down upon the sleeping Turners as the door continued to open, and soon it came to a full stop of motion as silence hung in the air once more.

A silhouette came into view on the floor, showing what looked to be an imposing figure wearing a sailor's hat standing in the doorway. The figure walked forward, its heavy footsteps dripping water onto the floor as it drew closer to the sleeping couple. Tentacle-like appendages appeared in the shadow of the head of the figure, swishing around like a monstrous creature that had come alive.

Again.

As the shadow loomed over the Turners, a tremendous thunderclap roared in the night, a quick, bright flash of lightning following soon after. In an instant, Will's eyes snapped open, and he bolted right up and looked towards where the figure was, seeing a massive crab's claw open up its pincers.

* * *

Will's eyes opened and he gasped for breath. He was still laying down on top of his pillow. Slowly, he picked up his head and continued to breathe deeply, surveying the room around him in search of an intruder.

But there was none. The door to their room was locked. The only people in the room were himself and his sleeping wife. The only sound he heard were the winds coming in from the outside.

It was just a dream.

Will exhaled slowly through his mouth, calming himself down. It had only been a dream. One far too familiar for his liking.

Will sat himself up, running a hand down his face. There was nothing to be afraid of. He was long gone. He couldn't hurt him or his family any longer.

At this thought, he turned his head and looked down onto Elizabeth, who was still sleeping peacefully. Will sighed in relief, knowing that she was alright. He was thankful for every day he spent with the woman he loved, taking none of it for granted. He had spent more time away from her than he was with her, and he was still determined to make up for his absence after all these years. He had spent the past year alone rebuilding his family, and everyone was happy and contented with their lives. For that, Will was grateful.

Will leaned down and kissed Elizabeth's forehead gently.

"Mmmmm…" she mumbled in her sleep, and Will couldn't help but smile. She was absolutely wonderful in every way. He could not have asked for a better wife for himself or a mother for their son.

Feeling that his throat was dry, Will slowly got up off the bed, careful not to wake Elizabeth. He walked over to his dresser and picked up the pitcher of water resting there. Taking a glass, he filled it with water and began to silently gulp it down, hoping the cool water would help to calm his nerves.

Spending twenty years as captain of the _Flying_ _Dutchman_ put him on edge, to say the least.

Feeling a shiver run down his spine, Will crossed his arms over his chest and turned around, looking over towards the window next to their shared bed. The air from outside had turned cold, and Will decided that they probably had had enough for one night.

Walking over to the window, Will pulled back the curtains so he could shut the window properly. But the moment he did, he paused because he noticed something down by the pier.

There was a light coming from inside the captain's cabin of the _Flying Dutchman._

Will's heartrate sped up, seeing the light flicker all the way from the cottage. Someone was on the ship at this very moment.

He thought back to the nightmare he had just woken up from, and he started to panic. At first, he told himself he was being silly, but Will was too old and too wise to chalk things up to coincidence anymore.

Regardless of whether or not his hunch was correct, and he was desperately hoping he was wrong, Will knew that there was someone aboard the ship right now. They could potentially pose a threat to his family, and Will would be damned before he let anything happen to them.

Closing the window, Will looked to his left to see the bedside drawer, and then he stepped over to it and carefully slid it open. He reached in and pulled out a pistol, and checked to make sure he had shot and powder loaded into it already.

Once he had finished and tucked the pistol into his pants, Will noticed Elizabeth shifting in her sleep, and he looked at her solemnly. He hoped this wouldn't be the last time he would see her, but he was going to protect his family no matter what.

Stepping into a pair of boots, Will carefully crept out of his room and walked down the hallway. He checked the rooms of his father and his son to make sure they were still here, and fortunately enough they were sound asleep in their beds. At least now he could rule out the possibility of any of his family being on the _Dutchman._

Will made his way downstairs, and opened up the side door of the cottage, stepping onto the grassy plains in the dead of night. The moonlight cast itself brightly over the island, but Will took a lantern with him just in case.

The light was still glowing from inside the cabin.

Will walked down across the grassy fields down over towards the pier, and from there stepped onto the _Dutchman's_ deck. It had been many months since he had set foot on the formerly-cursed vessel, and he was dreading having to return to it.

He faced towards the door that led to the captain's cabin, raising his lantern up while he did so. Slowly, he approached the door, drawing out his pistol and pointing the barrel upward.

Will swallowed, his heart beating faster than it probably ever had before.

Setting the lantern down just outside the door, Will slowly reached with his free hand towards the door's handle. Once he had a grip on it, he pulled back the hammer on his pistol, locking the flint into place.

_This is it._

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Will thrust the door open and quickly pointed his gun forward.

He was greeted by the sight of the back of the faded leather armchair that sat behind his desk, obscuring any figure from Will's view. The candles on the desk were burning, right next to them resting the heart-shaped locket, meaning that somebody indeed was here. Will kept a firm grip on his weapon, his finger just barely touching the trigger, as he pointed it at the back of the chair, waiting for whatever was sitting in the chair to make itself known.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up, sounding like the person had not spoken for years.

"As I told you once before, Mr. Turner, this is a beautiful sword."

Will froze.

This wasn't Davy Jones.

But that voice.

He _knew_ that voice.

Will's breath shuddered, and he started to pant heavily.

He started to lower his weapon.

No.

This couldn't be true.

He was long dead.

The figure placed his boots down upon the ground, and stood up.

He came around the back of the chair, and Will could now clearly see him.

He was wearing a Royal Navy Admiral's uniform, but it looked disheveled as if from years of rough living. He was not wearing a powdered wig as customary, but was wearing his natural brown hair down to his shoulders. He had a small but unkempt beard upon his face, along with an assortment of grime and filth upon his person. Atop his head he wore his Admiral's hat, though it was clear that, just like the rest of him, it had seen better days.

And in his hands, he was holding the sword that Will had forged for him all those years ago.

"You don't mind if I have this back, do you?" he asked Will.

Will's jaw dropped at the sight of him, along with his pistol.

This had to be another dream. Another nightmare.

But this was real.

_"Norrington,"_ Will lets the name escape from his mouth, not believing what he saw before him.

James Norrington gave off a casual smile, and then said, "Nice to see you again too, Mr. Turner."

"You- but-" Will stammered, "I thought you were-"

"I was, actually," Norrington answered him, "Calypso had other ideas, though. There was an open vacancy on the _Dutchman,_ and when I was offered the chance, I thought... why not?"

Norrington took his sword and slid it into his scabbard, and Will still could not believe it.

"But... _why?"_ Will asked him.

"When the Trident was destroyed, it freed you from your duties," Norrington began, "but you and I both know the _Dutchman_ must always have a captain."

Norrington smirked at him, and Will's breath continued to pick up with every moment.

Amidst the raging thunder outside, the both of them could hear the faintest, melancholic music coming from the heart-shaped locket resting on the desk. A tune all too familiar to Will.

Looking back up at Norrington, Will noticed the smile disappear from his face, as the former naval officer uttered two words that would haunt him right down to the bone:

"He's back."


End file.
